Reacquainted
by Gihyou
Summary: Completed There aren't enough YamazakiChiharu stories out there. This is one of them. Yamazaki is an unhappy newspaper writer, but will Chiharu's return to Japan solve his problems, or will she only make them worse?
1. What Happened, What's Happening

Reacquainted  
  
Story By: Gihyou  
  
************************************  
  
CHAPTER 1 - What Happened, What's Happening  
  
"Gooooood morning, Tokyo!"  
  
Yawning, I glanced at the alarm clock. It read "6:00", as I expected. That's when it was supposed to go off, and let me hear that annoying morning guy.  
  
"Another beeeeaaaauuuuuutiful day!"  
  
I checked the window, seeing the overcast skies outside. Frowning, I crawled out of bed, and stumbled to the alarm clock, which I had placed across the room. Every morning, I cursed myself for putting it there. Truth was, I'd never wake up on time if it wasn't there, and I didn't have to get out of bed to shut the damn DJ up.  
  
"Let's listen to one of my favorite American songs this morning, shall we? It's a little ditty by the Backstreet Boys, one of the hottest bands in..."  
  
"Let's not," I grumbled, turning the radio off. Kami-sama, that guy was an idiot. Stretching, I took my shower, making it last a half hour and using up all the hot water in the process. Hot water would return, but only after a while. Once out of the shower, I felt refreshed, ready to tackle the day. Breakfast went smoothly, and, fully dressed and prepared, I set out with a bounce in my step.  
  
Until I remembered what I would be doing. Research, for one of my stories. I was supposed to have a feature on the old ladies' club in Tokyo ready by the end of the day. The ladies were working getting a traffic light in a busy intersection after one of the women had a grandchild killed in an accident. Illogically, I thought, my editor decided I should do some research and try to find out if many accidents happened at the intersection, the severity of said accidents, and whether or not the light was actually worth spending government money on. Knowing I would have to pour over reports of injuries and death, my mood quickly turned bad.  
  
My car was a beat up old Honda, but at least in good enough shape to run the heater. That was good, because it was a cold day. Along the way to work, it began to rain. By the time I reached the office, it was a downpour. My wonderful reserved parking space was near the end of the lot, so I would have to walk a long distance in the rain. I used my newspaper in a futile effort to defend against the rain. Water soaked through and dripped onto my head anyway. The weather seemed to fit my mood.  
  
"Need an umbrella?" said a woman. I hadn't even seen or heard her, so I jumped when she spoke. She held a rather large umbrella, and looked like she wished to share.  
  
"You want me to walk with you?" I asked, hoping she wouldn't catch the surprise in my voice. Women and I did not seem to cross paths very happen.  
  
"Only way you can walk under the umbrella as well," she replied. I shrugged and gratefully accepted. The rain finally out of my face, I got my first good look at her. She was young, I judged her to be a bit younger than me, perhaps the same age, maybe twenty to twenty-three. I had no idea who she was, although something about her tugged at my memory. "You work here?" she asked.  
  
"No, I just like the ambiance," I joked. She laughed, a bit too hard for the gag-worthy quip. Her laugh bothered me, not because it was annoying, but because it was like something I'd heard before.  
  
"Today's my first day," she said. We were nearing the entrance to the office. "I'm the new secretary for Yukyue-san." What a surprise. Yukyue, the head of public relations for the newspaper, was known for picking out attractive young woman to serve as his secretary. His rather lewd treatment of the secretaries, however, assured he was on a constant search. It seemed a shame to be subjecting this particular woman to him. Who did she remind me of? Who?  
  
"People never stay his secretary long," I told her. It seemed a safe way to put it.  
  
"Really?" Her face brightened. "They must get promotions working for him, then, huh?" Well, that was the wrong idea, was what I thought. They usually quit and scored a job as a secretary for someone else.  
  
"Yeah," was what I said. "Great place to start." We came up to the covered area in front of the door. "Thank you very much," I told her. "I should repay for your kindness."  
  
"It's nothing, really," she said. I told her I disagreed and handed her a business card. "Look me up for lunch today. I'll buy. It's your first day, so I can show you around."  
  
She fingered the card, seemingly engrossed in the plain black type. "Sure, Takashi Yamazaki," she said finally, reading the name on the card. The woman bid me good-bye and went into the building. I found myself hoping she would take me up on my lunch offer. She was rather cute. And maybe if I saw her again I could figure out who she reminded me of.  
  
Once I entered the building, catching no sight of her, I realized I hadn't asked for a name. Well, the ball was all in her court if she wanted to see me again.  
  
My desk was stationed in the corner of my floor, right next to the window. It was still cluttered from yesterday. I started my research on the Internet, but quickly realized I would need to visit the library for this one. That could wait. I worked on the draft of the article, hoping to fit the data on traffic accidents into it later.  
  
"Another hot story you've got there, eh, Takashi?" said a familiar voice. Li Syaoran was a rather new writer like myself, but he was being given better stories. Not that I was jealous or bitter. He was a better writer. I assumed that soon he would be able to move onto one of the bigger or better newspapers than the Tokyo Digest. One that produced an issue daily, instead of weekly.  
  
"Right," I said, rolling my eyes. "Nothing like the elderly running around demanding a traffic light to make the creative juices flow and the heart to beat faster in excitement."  
  
He grinned. "Come on. You need a break. The guys are going to start a Ping-Pong tournament. You in?"  
  
"A break?" I asked, standing up. "I just got here an hour ago. I don't need a break." He was still grinning as I began to walk with him to the break room while denouncing my need for a break. "I suppose a break couldn't hurt," I said, pretending to give in, as if I had actually been debating it.  
  
"Right," he agreed. "Never does."  
  
I wondered if maybe he knew the girl who was the new secretary for Yukyue, and so I asked him. Sometimes, Syaoran surprised me with what he knew. He shook his head. "Why?"  
  
"I met her this morning. She let me share an umbrella."  
  
"Well? Did you ask her out, then?"  
  
"To lunch today."  
  
He patted me on the back. "Good man. She was practically asking for you to do so. Who shares an umbrella with someone they don't know unless they're attracted to that someone?" I nodded, although I wondered how he knew that. He'd been going out with Sakura Kinomoto for what seemed like eternity. She was the only girlfriend he'd ever had, and had been good for him. Syaoran had definitely become more light-hearted and easy-going than I had remembered him before meeting up with him again at the paper. They were finally going to marry in two months. He'd chosen me for his best man, an honor I was glad to accept. But what did he know about courtship? He had last had to court a girl when he was eleven years old. Not many of us marry our elementary-school sweetheart, myself included. Crap, that's who she reminded me of!  
  
"Chiharu!" I blurted.  
  
"Sakura's friend, Mihara Chiharu?" he said, disturbed by my outburst. "She lives in the southern part of Japan, now. Can't be her."  
  
"Right," I said quickly. "It's just that the woman reminded me of someone, and I finally figured out who it was. She looks so much like Chiharu."  
  
"A cousin, perhaps? Or maybe, you still miss Mihara," he said, his tone serious.  
  
"No," I said, with conviction. "Not after what happened."  
  
"You haven't had a date since you two separated. I think..."  
  
"My lack of dates has nothing to do with Chiharu," I said icily. Syaoran backed off, his hands up in mock surrender.  
  
"Okay, nothing to do with her."  
  
The break room was the nicest feature of the newspaper. Too bad the public never got to see it. All the usual suspects were there, crowding around the Ping-Pong Table.  
  
"Takashi's in," said Syaoran, settling into a sofa. "We're even now."  
  
"Good," said a husky-voiced middle-aged man. Lijura Kejiro had been at the paper as long as anyone could remember. A man with absolutely no desire to leave for a better newspaper, despite his talent. He was as lazy as they come, and infuriated the editors by producing quality work without really trying. They couldn't fire him, but didn't dare promote him. And that suited Lijura just fine. It meant he could organize more Ping-Pong tournaments. "Takashi's terrible at this game, but he'll do to even out the bracket."  
  
"I'm not that bad," I countered. Actually, I probably was.  
  
The only female writer we had, Machi Konishi, was drawn as my first opponent. She was pretty cute in her own right, although she was five years my senior. Machi was perhaps the best player the staff had. I knew I wouldn't be in this tournament long, as usual. To prevent the editors from picking up on our little games on company time, each game was scheduled one at a time, so only two people were in the break room at once. Our match was in an hour an a half, the last one in the first round. "I'm going to kill you," Machi said to me jokingly.  
  
"Probably," I laughed. "I hope I score."  
  
"With Machi?" said Syaoran, sliding up to us. "I doubt it."  
  
"Who'd you draw?" she asked him.  
  
"Honshi. I'm in the second round for sure." Honshi Kendo was probably the only guy I stood a reasonable chance of beating, which said something about the abilities of both of us. We were both hopeless with a Ping-Pong paddle.  
  
"Okay guys, clear out," said Lijura. "Come back here when your game's up."  
  
"Li, do you ever feel guilty about playing Ping-Pong tournaments when we're supposed to be working?" I asked, only semi-seriously.  
  
He grinned. "No."  
  
I returned the smile. "Me neither."  
  
***************  
  
The library had turned out to be perfect for my research, and I was able to finish in time to return to the office with time to spare before my match. Fully armed with statistics, I piled them onto my desk and began to analyze them before my watch alarm beeped. 10:30, time for Ping-Pong with Machi. This should be quick enough, I thought.  
  
"I'm surprised you even showed up, Takashi," Machi said, when I arrived at the break room.  
  
"Enough trash talk," I said, pretending to stretch, as if it would make a difference. "Let's do this."  
  
The score was close for awhile, but I think she was just trying to make me feel better about the complete domination she laid down in the second half of the game. When it was over, I congratulated her, tennis-pro style, and then threw the paddle down in an admittedly lame John McEnroe imitation. She said, with a smile, that I should be disqualified from the next tournament.  
  
"The way you were scoring on me, I think I've already lost the game in the next tournament," I replied glibly.  
  
My turn in Ping-Pong done for the day, I returned to my story. By the time I looked up from the statistics and the computer screen where my story was written, it was 3:32. No wonder I felt so hungry. At least the story was done, and with time to spare. I noted glumly that the Chiharu- lookalike had not shown up for lunch.  
  
I took a walk around the office in an effort to find something to do before my editor received my story and returned it to me after making a flurry of corrections that would inevitably change the entire tone of the article. I loathed his corrections, but I assumed them necessary, becuase I was a terrible writer. Syaoran caught me walking around, and invited me to his desk. "I believe that girl you met this morning came here," he said.  
  
"No," I said. "She didn't."  
  
"She left this for you. Thought you were too busy to bother. I know better, for you're never too busy for girls," here he had a slight smirk, "but she insisted that she not bother you." He handed me a hastily written note. "She did look very much like Mihara. Damn, it was kind of freaky."  
  
I read the note. 'Sorry I caught you at a bad time. Maybe some other time will work?' It was unsigned. I still had no idea what her name was. "When did she come by?"  
  
"About two hours ago."  
  
"Why didn't you give me this then?"  
  
He shrugged. "You looked busy. Besides, she wasn't going anywhere."  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"She works for that jerk Yukyue. Go up and visit her. You're done with your story, aren't you?" I nodded. "Well, what are you going to do around here then? Might as well go up there and at least figure out what her name is."  
  
"Yeah, why not?" I went to the stairs and climbed the two floors up to public relations. Marching with a sense of purpose, I sought out and found the woman. Seeing her again, she did really look like Chiharu. Syaoran was right, it was kind of freaky.  
  
"Takashi-san," she said, a bit astonished to see me. "Did you think of a different time?"  
  
"I was thinking, maybe we should go out for dinner instead." What was I saying? I had just come up here to get her name, and now I was asking for dinner? Boy, I am so smooth. I still didn't have her name. What a buffoon I am. "Ah, what I mean is..."  
  
"You mean tonight?"  
  
"Ah..."  
  
"Sure," she said, smiling.  
  
"Okay," I said dumbly. I turned to leave, then stopped. "How about Yoshi's, at seven?"  
  
"Seven sounds good."  
  
I began to leave again, but then stopped again. "Wait. One more thing. Tell me your name."  
  
"Mihara Hari." I nearly fainted. "Something wrong?" she asked.  
  
"No, no," I said quickly. "See you at seven." I left hurriedly, and returned to Syaoran's desk.  
  
"So, how'd it go?" he asked, cracking a smile.  
  
"Her name is Mihara! She probably IS a cousin of Chiharu."  
  
"And?"  
  
"And? And I can't go out with her."  
  
"Why not?"  
  
"At some point, I'll have to meet Chiharu again. And I don't want to."  
  
"Okay, you have got to tell me what Chiharu did to you. I never found out, it obviously happened when you and I lost contact with each other before we got hired at this paper together. I'm sure Sakura knows, but she doesn't talk about her friends' personal lives to me. Must be a woman's thing. Anyway, she must have done something horrible to make you want to avoid her rather attractive cousin like this."  
  
"Okay," I sighed. "I'll tell you, if you really want to know."  
  
"Definitely, Takashi."  
  
*************  
  
We were seventeen, spending an evening together as usual. Something was odd about Chiharu that night. We'd had dinner, but she'd barely eaten even the salad. We'd seen a movie, and it was a comedy, but she'd only occasionally grinned. So, when we were walking home, I asked her to tell me was bothering her.  
  
"Yamazaki-kun, would you be sad if I had to leave?"  
  
"Yes," I nodded. I found the question to be an odd one.  
  
"Well, I hope we won't be affected by what I am going to say."  
  
"What is it?"  
  
"I am going to America."  
  
Needless to say, I was stunned. Chiharu had never said anything to me about going to America, or anywhere out of Tomoeda for that matter. "What?" That was all I could think to say.  
  
"My dream is to become a champion figure-skater, you know that." It was true, she had said it often. And recently she'd become quite good on the ice, skating to a second-place finish in a competition of girls her age. "Well, an American trainer saw me skate, and he thinks he can bring me to the Olympics in a few years. All I have to do is travel to America. He'll take care of all the initial expenses, and my family agreed to take care of the rest so I can concentrate on skating."  
  
"When do you leave?" I asked, dumbfounded. This news was wonderful for Chiharu's skating career, but not so much for me.  
  
"In two weeks. I've been meaning to tell you, but couldn't seem to work up the nerve."  
  
"Two weeks!" I echoed. "If I hadn't asked, would you have even told me?" I sounded angry and I knew it. Maybe that wasn't fair to her, but a flurry of emotions were flying through me.  
  
"I would have," she said defensively. "I'm sure I can come and visit you. Or maybe you me."  
  
We walked the rest of the way to her house in silence. When we arrived, I gave her a curt good-bye and continued to my house. Two weeks! She'd never said a thing before!  
  
Perhaps I harbored resentment. We tried to make the next two weeks worthwhile, but they ended up feeling like a waste. I wouldn't be seeing her for who knows how long! There was definitely resentment, in fact.  
  
I saw her off at the airport. We exchanged a kiss, but it wasn't passionate. Very lacking in emotion. I was angry she hadn't told me or consulted me on the decision at all, she was angry that I was angry. Chiharu never even looked back to me as she went to the plane.  
  
I saved enough for a trip to Denver, Colorado, where the trainer was, to see her and apologize for my actions. I realized that it was her decision and that I didn't want to lose her because of a silly pride thing that I never got to be involved in the process. I would have encouraged her anyway. We hadn't even written very many letters to each other, and when we did, there was nothing to them. We sounded like pen-pals instead of lovers. I was feeling empty inside without her, so I needed to see her, to try and make everything right again.  
  
That's when I got her last letter. She said she hated the way I was treating her, and that I had caused her to rethink our relationship. She said she'd met a very nice boy named Brian, and that she was happy with him. That was it. There was a picture too. Imprinted in my mind forever. The two of them smiling, sitting at a park. What the hell was I supposed to do with that picture? Why did she send it to me?  
  
I crumpled up and burned that letter, and the picture, but not before, and I'm not afraid to admit it, I dampened it with some tears. Fury and depression raged inside of me at the same time. I ended up not going to the university like I had planned, because I didn't feel like I had the desire any longer. I took several odd and menial jobs for a while before my uncle's friend got me the job at this paper, never to leave, because what other newspaper would want someone who has no English degree, and what else could I do that would pay as much?  
  
*************  
  
"And that's what happened. I don't want to see Chiharu anymore, I've gotten over her. At least, I thought I had," I finished. Syaoran, who had stayed respectably quiet during my story while reclining in his chair, whistled loudly through his teeth. "But now I'm going to dinner with her."  
  
"Her cousin," he corrected.  
  
"Same thing. I can't string her along because she looks like Chiharu. I should cancel dinner."  
  
"At least give the poor girl a chance."  
  
"I suppose I do owe her that..." I shook my head. "It will never work. I can't. I mean, its Chiharu's cousin. Kami-sama!"  
  
"What the hell are you two doing?" Our chief editor, Maraki Desu, stood looming over us. About six foot five and two hundred and twenty pounds, he was a big, intimidating man. Even Syaoran looked a little abashed. "I don't pay you to chat about girls." I didn't have the courage to tell him that he didn't technically pay us to do anything. The owner of the newspaper paid us. "Takashi! Have you finished your draft?"  
  
I thanked myself for having it done. "Yes."  
  
"Then don't bother Li. Bring it to me. What are you waiting for, a formal invite? Go on, wait in my office." I hated when he treated me like a child, yelling at me loud enough for the whole office to hear, but when one writes as poorly as I do and yet can't be fired from a newspaper because he's friends with the newspaper's owner, then I suppose I deserve to be treated poorly. What a sad being I am.  
  
"Yes, Maraki-san." I nodded good-bye to Syaoran, who nodded back, then slipped me a tiny piece of paper when Maraki turned away. I snatched it into my pocket and went in Maraki's office with a printed up copy of my draft.  
  
The note Syaoran gave me said, "Go to the dinner, or I won't be your friend." I had to grin.  
  
******************************  
  
A/N: Well, that's the first chapter...anyone like it? 


	2. Seeing Her Again

CHAPTER 2 - Seeing Her Again  
  
"Takashi-san." Hari said it simply to greet me. She wore a pretty little black dinner dress, nothing fancy. I returned the greeting and we waited in a silence that I felt was uncomfortable. It wasn't long before our table at Yoshi's was ready, and we sat down and studied the menus intently.  
  
"The fish is good here," I said. What a dumb thing to say.  
  
"There's something about you that has been bothering me all day," she said. "I think I've heard your name before."  
  
"I know for a fact that I've heard your name before," I said. "Mihara. I knew someone of that name."  
  
"Who?"  
  
"Chiharu."  
  
She looked at me closely, and recognition passed over her face. "That's my cousin! You're that jerk she was always telling me about!" I nearly dropped my glass of water.  
  
"Jerk!" I exclaimed, a tad too loud. Some patrons stared at me. Well, let them stare. "No, no, no. She went to America, after we'd been together since kindergarten, and then all of sudden she meets some Brian guy, and that's it."  
  
"She tells me you were unsupportive. I hated you for her sake." I could tell this little dinner was not going well. "But she never said anything about a Brian," she admitted. "That changes it a little. Perhaps you'd like to hear what she's been up to?"  
  
"No," I said. Yes I do, I told myself. But pride reared its ugly head. Chiharu wanted to end it with me, the least I could do was forget about her. "This is not a Chiharu discussion. This is us having dinner, with me paying to thank you for allowing me to use your umbrella."  
  
"She's been pretty miserable ever since she returned to Japan."  
  
"That's sad," I said nonchalantly. A sick part of me gave a small cheer. I squelched its evil.  
  
"No boyfriends. No social life. Sometimes she talks on the phone to some woman she knew back in school, Kinomoto I think her name is, but that is rare. Of course, its just an after-affect of her stunted skating career."  
  
Crap. She made me interested in her. "What happened to her figure skating career?"  
  
"She made an Olympic team three years ago, at twenty. But she didn't qualify after the first round in the Olympics, and soon after that, during a practice, she destroyed her knee. Very sad end. It's repaired now, but she can't skate like she used to. And she has no education to fall back on. She barely finished high school while in America. Forget college. Everything was about skating for her."  
  
"That isn't good."  
  
"I help her out the best I can, but money's tight for me, you know? She busses tables at a cafe to help earn her keep, but that is not a lucrative job."  
  
"Right." Staff writers at the Tokyo Digest knew about the money being tight. No one made enough to support more than themselves in a tiny apartment. Secretaries probably got paid better. Still, I had had enough about Chiharu. "Tell me about yourself."  
  
There wasn't much to tell, she said, other than she was destined to be a secretary forever. The colleges only took the students who did well on the exams, and she had not. Neither had most of her friends, and a couple of them had committed suicide, devastating Hari. On the other hand, Hari decided to try her hand at secretarial work, and found it paid the bills well enough to keep at it. I explained I never even took the exams, but I didn't say that was because I was supposed to take them right around the time Chiharu sent me the last letter.  
  
Dinner ended, and I drove her home, as she had no car. She demanded that I come up to her place for a moment, and was very adamant that I not refuse when I attempted to do so. I gave up and agreed. We didn't really have anything in common, nothing we could build upon. Plus, her cousin and I had a history. It was weird to be with her, now that I knew for sure that Chiharu was her cousin. So it was with trepidation I went up to her apartment with her, because I didn't want it to seem like I was too interested in her, but at the same time I didn't want to be rude.  
  
The apartment was almost painfully neat. I sat on what appeared to be a freshly vacuumed couch. Never would I vacuum a damn couch. She went to get me a drink, and I asked for a soda instead of alcohol. I'd had my limit at the restaurant.  
  
At least, I thought I'd had enough. That was when I saw her. She looked older than me, even though she was right at my age, twenty-three. She wore sweatpants and a gray Tokyo U. sweatshirt. Her hair was longer than I remembered, and she was still beautiful. I couldn't tell myself she wasn't, even if she had broken my heart. There was no doubt. It was Chiharu. But even if she was beautiful, I didn't want to see her.  
  
"Oh, hell," I muttered. I had forgotten, in agreeing to come up here, that Hari had said Chiharu was living with her.  
  
"Yamazaki," she said. "It's been so long...what are you doing here?" What am I doing here? What was she doing here, that was a better question. I regretted asking for a soda instead of a stiff drink, like maybe whiskey.  
  
"I thought you were in southern Japan." Well, I had known better, but only as of an hour or so ago.  
  
"No." Well, that was obvious. I looked like an idiot.  
  
Hari appeared with my soda. "Oh, dear," she said, finding Chiharu and I staring at each other.  
  
"You didn't write me back," Chiharu said.  
  
"What was the point?"  
  
"We could have still been friends."  
  
I scoffed. "I didn't want to be friends." She didn't seem to understand what I had felt. Standing up, I directed myself to Hari. "I should be going now. It's late, and I have to get up early. Thanks for the soda."  
  
"Thanks for dinner," she replied.  
  
"Don't go yet, Yamazaki," said Chiharu, but I was already out the door.  
  
***********  
  
The phone rang when I got home, and I let the machine get it. I felt very tired for some reason. The answering machine turned on, and I heard Chiharu's voice again. "Yamazaki, pick the phone up. I know your home. Please, I want to talk to you." I refused to pick up the phone then and the next few times it rang and she left an increasingly demanding message. Finally, on the sixth different time, I picked the phone up.  
  
"Stop calling me!" I shouted.  
  
"That's a good way to stop telemarketers," said Syaoran, on the other line. I turned red.  
  
"Sorry, Li, I thought you were someone else."  
  
"I just wanted to know how your date went. You know, so I can start spreading rumors around the office." I could almost hear him grin, if there's such a thing.  
  
"It was fine, I suppose." He asked what I meant. "I went up her apartment for a soda. You'll never guess who her roommate is. Chiharu."  
  
There was silence. "Are you serious?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Damn. What'd you do?"  
  
"I did the only thing I could think to do. I left. She's been calling me ever since I got home, but I don't want anything to do with her."  
  
There was a murmur of understanding on the other side of the line. "If you don't want to see Chiharu again, you shouldn't have to." I heard whispering, probably between him and Sakura. I waited patiently for him to finish. "Sorry for the break. Sakura wanted to know where Chiharu is. She wants to see her."  
  
"I know where she is, but I don't know the address," I told him. There was more whispering.  
  
"Sakura wants you to pick her up and bring her to Chiharu's tomorrow morning, if you don't mind."  
  
The last thing I needed was for Sakura to try to get me and Chiharu back together because she thought it would be cute. Or get her best friend, Daidouji Tomoyo, involved, because Tomoyo would play matchmaker like she enjoys so much. 'You're so cute together!' she'd say. But, I couldn't just say no to Sakura. "Okay. She does realize I'll probably pick her up at a quarter to seven, right? I still have to work tomorrow."  
  
"No you don't, dummy." Oh, of course. The paper was done, the only job left was editing and printing, the weekend jobs. I had forgotten today was Friday.  
  
"Name a time, then." Syaoran asked if ten was all right, and I agreed. Perhaps Chiharu might not want anyone visiting her, but that was too bad. Syaoran and I exchanged good-byes and I went straight to sleep after unplugging the phone.  
  
*************  
  
Sakura's pink summer dress and floral patterned headband contrasted sharply with the gray and drab sky, with rain threatening for the second consecutive day. It was also different from the plain blue scrubs she wore while working as a nurse at a hospital. I'd known Sakura for such a long time, that although we weren't the greatest friends, she remained one of the few women I could feel comfortable around. Machi from the office might be the only other woman. Every other female made me feel nervous and clammy, very much unlike how I used to be.  
  
"I haven't seen Chiharu-chan since she moved to America," said Sakura thoughtfully. "Have you?" I was about to answer when she slapped herself in the forehead. "Of course, you saw her yesterday! Very stupid of me."  
  
"It wasn't like I planned to."  
  
"Oh, of course not." She patted my shoulder. "I always felt bad for you, Yamazaki, and that Chiharu should not have been surprised when you never wrote to her again. I feel sorry for you. I wonder, though, if she's still with Brian." I grunted involuntarily at the mention of his name and gripped the steering wheel tightly, my knuckles turning white. "Oh," she said softly, seeing my reaction. "Sorry. Syaoran-kun said..."  
  
"My lack of dates has nothing to do with Chiharu," I said blandly, predicting what Syaoran had said. I turned out to be correct.  
  
"It must be something else, then," said Sakura lightly. Yeah, some other way I'm screwed up. Mercifully, the conversation ended, because we had arrived.  
  
"Second one on the left of the third floor coming out of the elevator," I instructed. "I'll wait out here, so you don't have to walk home, but go ahead and take as much time as you need. I'll just read my book."  
  
"That's sweet of you, Yamazaki-kun, but aren't you going to come in as well?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Okay, then." Sakura hustled up the stairs and entered the apartment complex. I settled down with my book, but it didn't really interest me. It was only a marginal read. I wound up thinking about Chiharu.  
  
For the first two years after I had cut my ties with her, I had been obsessed. I carried a fiery dislike for the girl, yet at same time painful yearning. My apartment at the time, which was somehow even less impressive than the one I have now, was cluttered with her things. Things she had left behind with me when she left for America. I couldn't bear to get rid of them. Her favorite yellow chair she told me she'd come back for. A little stuffed teddy bear. Various drawings of animals and things she had made.  
  
Myself, I refused the advances of any girls who came my way. I finally realized I had wallowed in my own self-pity long enough, though, on my nineteenth birthday. I tossed out her things, everything except the chair, which I had given to Syaoran and Sakura as a gift when they moved in together, although I didn't tell them it was actually Chiharu's. I was ready to move on.  
  
Except I didn't move on. Nothing changed about me, and it depressed me even more. Here I was, aware of my problem, but I couldn't do anything about it. I can't say I didn't think about suicide, but I never attempted it. It was never that bad, but it was close.  
  
Only time passing saved me. Eventually, I was able to push the memory of Chiharu to the back of my mind, and put on a good face around other people. Still, like Syaoran had pointed out, and as much as I vehemently denied to others and myself it was due to Chiharu, I didn't go on dates. Syaoran once said it was unhealthy, and maybe he was right.  
  
I was doing so good. Everything was moving well with me. I even had a date! But of course, it was with Chiharu's cousin, and I had seen Chiharu, and now I couldn't ignore her. It was like I was regressing in therapy. I was suffering from the Chiharu disease, and had relapsed.  
  
I checked my watch. Sakura had been in there for an hour. I had no idea how long it would take to catch up on old times. Couldn't be that long, they had talked on the phone recently. Although, Chiharu apparently wasn't being completely up front with Sakura. She had told her she was in southern Japan when she was right here in Tokyo the whole time.  
  
Engrossing myself as best I could in my book, I managed to forget about Chiharu for a little while. I must have fallen asleep, because the next thing I knew, Sakura was tapping the car window. Groggily, I unlocked the door for her.  
  
"I wasn't gone that long, was I?" she asked. I checked my watch, and noted the time with a little surprise.  
  
"Three and a half hours."  
  
"Oh, my," she said. "I hope I didn't make you wait out here too long."  
  
"Don't worry about it."  
  
We drove in silence for a while. The sun was starting to poke through the clouds, brightening the area. "You should talk with Chiharu- chan," Sakura said, after a time.  
  
"No," I said simply, my tone indicating that was the end of it. Sakura, however, did not notice my tone. Or perhaps she chose to ignore it. You never could tell what subtle signals she actually caught and ignored, and those she just didn't notice. Somehow, it seemed more of the former than the latter, although that wasn't always the case with her.  
  
"Chiharu-chan misses you."  
  
"I don't miss her," I lied. That was a horrible lie.  
  
"I don't believe you." Her certainty surprised me. "You do miss her, don't you, Yamazaki-kun? You never wanted to end the relationship."  
  
"Please, Sakura, don't make me say it. Because if I don't say it, then maybe I can still convince myself it isn't true."  
  
"You can't deny your true feelings." How profound, I thought. "I can't take credit for that one, it's Tomoyo's." That didn't surprise me. Tomoyo was always spouting things like that. We arrived back at her and Syaoran's place, and she turned to me when I put the parking brake on. "Can you tell me, truthfully, that you wish to never see Chiharu again? Think hard before you answer."  
  
I didn't pause to think at all. "Yes."  
  
Sakura put a hand on my face. "Poor Yamazaki-kun," she said, as if I was some kind of abused animal. Without another word, she left the car. I couldn't help but think that her overall attitude in leaving was one of disappointment, of all things.  
  
Before I could leave, Syaoran called out to me. If he tried to convince me to see Chiharu, I was going to lose it. Instead, he said, "Still coming for poker tonight?"  
  
"As long as Chiharu isn't there. I wouldn't put it past Sakura to set up something like that." He laughed.  
  
"If she did, you can bet Daidouji was involved in some manner."  
  
I managed to crack a grin. "See you tonight."  
  
***********  
  
"Five card draw, aces wild," said Syaoran, his official poker hat on. It was a stupid looking fishing hat that made him look, by his own admission, like the Chinese Gilligan, from Gilligan's Island, but he claimed it was lucky. If that was true, and it was really a lucky hat that made his poker play better, then I wouldn't want to see him play without it, because even with the hat, he did not win very often.  
  
The other guys were Kendo, from the newspaper, Hirosa, one of Syaoran's college buddies, Josuke, a doctor who worked at the same hospital as Sakura, and me. We'd gotten together like this nearly every Saturday night for almost six months. As she usually did when Syaoran had hosting duties, Sakura had gone out with her friends so that Syaoran could use the apartment for guys only. She had also made some wonderful riceballs for us.  
  
The hand was over, and I laid out my two pair while digging triumphantly for another shrimp riceball. Syaoran tossed his hand down, face in disgust. I checked it for the sake of totality. Jack high. I laughed, but stopped when Josuke threw down his full house to win the hand and the chips. It had turned into quite a mountain of chips, but it was only worth 650 yen. (A/N: 1 US dollar is equal to about 130 yen) We didn't play for much money.  
  
The phone rang during one of the later hands, and Syaoran got up to answer it. The rest of us resisted the urge to peek at his cards. "He never wins, anyway," joked Kendo, drawing a laugh. It was true. For the tenth straight Saturday, Syaoran was probably going to lose 2600 yen or more. The rest of us sat either above even or a little bit below, maybe a couple hundred yen at most.  
  
Syaoran reappeared a few minutes later. His face seemed pale. "I'm sorry guys, but we've got to cut poker short tonight." Four questioning faces regarded him, but he did not say anymore. "Sorry," he repeated. "I have to go to Sakura."  
  
"Is she okay?" asked Kendo.  
  
"Yes. Look, I'll explain to you guys later." Syaoran was already grabbing his keys and jacket. We filed out of his apartment quickly, expressing our hope that everything was all right. Syaoran wordlessly pulled at my shirt as I tried to leave. "Takashi, I need you to come with, okay?"  
  
"Okay," I said. "If you need it. What's going on?" But he was already out the door, so I followed him, and pulled myself into the passenger seat of his car. "Li?"  
  
"There's been a fire," he said, starting the car up, its engine purring. "At the apartment complex where your old friend Mihara is staying, and where Sakura and her friends were visiting. Don't worry, everyone's all right, but I need you to tell me where it is."  
  
"Sure," I agreed, while at the same time dreading returning to that place.  
  
******************************* 


	3. A Date

CHAPTER 3 - A Date  
  
Syaoran was flying through the streets at twice the speed limit at some points, and we made record time to the apartment complex while I gave him directions. When we arrived, he skid the car to a halt and jumped out, leaving the transmission in drive. I had to hit the parking brake for him to keep the car from rolling.  
  
By the time I was out of the car, Syaoran had already found Sakura, and was comforting her. The apartment was no longer on fire, but a portion of it was burnt out. The portion Hari's apartment was. Sakura was standing with her friends. I recognized Tomoyo's jet black hair easily, and named Sasaki Rika as another of the girls. There was a fourth I did not recognize. Hari stood with Chiharu off to the side.  
  
Tomoyo came over to me. "Yamazaki-kun," she said. She did not have her normal breezy tone.  
  
"How did this fire start?" I asked, forgetting to give my greeting.  
  
"We don't know. We were all in the apartment, visiting Chiharu-chan, catching up, you know, girl stuff. Before long, Rika-chan smelled smoke, and the kitchen was on fire. So we were able to leave rather easily. But, it was still a little scary."  
  
"I'd imagine." I figured perhaps there was something cooking on the stove, it was ignored, and then caught on fire. Although, it looked like quite a bit of damage for a kitchen fire like that.  
  
"Police are calling it arson right now." That stunned me. It was a room full of young women. What kind of person would set a fire that could possibly hurt any of them? "Of course, they always call it arson before ruling it out."  
  
"Of course," I repeated.  
  
A crowd of onlookers was still regarding the scene as firefighters were dousing the remnants of the building with water to prevent any flare- ups of hidden flames. I scanned the crowd unconsciously. One of the faces seemed familiar, but I couldn't say how. He was medium-height and thin, with a goatee. While most of the onlookers had shock written on them, he seemed strangely complacent with the whole thing. Probably just not the one to show emotion.  
  
"What are you looking at?" I heard Tomoyo ask.  
  
"Just a guy who doesn't fit in," I said absently.  
  
"The one with the goatee?" she asked. I nodded, astounded. We had both picked out the same guy. "Yes, something about him seems oddly out of place." If Tomoyo said it, then it must be true. The woman notices everything, and I mean everything.  
  
He shifted position, and something came to me. A photograph, burned into my mind. Chiharu and Brian, smiling, holding hands. Brian. He looked almost a dead-ringer for the boy in that picture, aged a few years. What if...? I had gleaned that Chiharu was no longer with Brian. Maybe she broke off the relationship similarly to the way she had with me, and he had taken it badly enough to try something like this?  
  
Without thinking, I decided to confront him. I suppose I blamed him, somewhat, for making Chiharu fall for him. I moved toward the crowd, making a direct bead on his person. Tomoyo asked where I was going, and told me to wait for the police, but I ignored her. I was completely concentrated on that man with the goatee. Brian.  
  
He saw me coming, and seemed to understand that I was coming for him, because he broke off in a dead sprint the opposite direction. I would not allow him to escape so easily, and shoved my way through the crowd to follow him. He was not as fast as me, and I was gaining on him slowly once I got into the open. There was no one but me and him, and I had to ignore the ache that built up quickly in my muscles as I chased him. He kept looking back over his shoulder, looking more and more panicky as I made up ground. I growled the next time he looked back, as if to make him fear me.  
  
We'd run four blocks, and I was close enough to almost be able to reach out and touch his shirt. Every part of my body hurt with the effort of running, and I was sucking in air by the mouthful. Finally, I was close enough that I could grab his shirt cleanly. But I was unable to attempt to do so, because he stopped like he had internal brakes. I ran into him hard. He remained standing but I, unprepared for such an action, fell to the street, panting. With effort, I moved myself into a sitting position, but Brian sent me back down with a shoe planted squarely in my chest. With a grunt, I skidded away from him on my back thanks to the force of his foot. He continued to run away while I pulled myself back to my feet.  
  
I watched him run, leaning against a streetlight pole. He had temporarily knocked the wind out of me with his blow, which hadn't helped my oxygen-deprived body. Gulping air, I rested there for a while before continuing on. My back felt like it was on fire, and I was exhausted from the run. I still cursed a streak, however, knowing that Brian had gotten away.  
  
Along the way back, Syaoran met me, Sakura on his tail. He saw my condition and offered a supportive arm. "Takashi, what the hell did you run off for?"  
  
"Brian," I managed to say. My throat was rather dry. "I almost had him."  
  
"The Brian that was with Mihara?" he asked, as if I had ever talked about more than one. He shook his head. "Couldn't have been."  
  
"I'm sure it was. I think he set the fire."  
  
"Well, let's worry about that later," said Syaoran. I don't think he believed me. At that moment, though, I was unconcerned. A bolt of pain hit my back, causing me to grit my teeth and wince.  
  
Sakura examined my back. "Well, it looks ugly back here, but nothing too serious. You'll live. We can take him home, Syaoran, and I can bandage him up there."  
  
Once we had returned to Sakura and Syaoran's place, and the cuts on my back had been treated, there was a gentle throbbing to replace the shooting pain. Even though Syaoran demanded I stay overnight, I gratefully declined, thinking myself a bother. I really wasn't hurt that much.  
  
By the time I got to my apartment complex, it was very late. I was very glad to know the next day was Sunday, and I could sleep it away. In fact, I was ready to go straight to bed without changing.  
  
Setting my jacket and keys on the gray reclining chair, I yawned and headed for bed. Something on the couch caught my eye, however, right as I was taking one last look at the living room before entering the bedroom. I nearly fainted when I found Chiharu on my couch.  
  
"What in the hell!?" I said, more surprised than angry. She snapped her head up, eyes focusing. She had fallen asleep on my couch! "How did you get in here? Why? What are you doing here?"  
  
"I need a place to sleep," she said pitifully. "You saw what is left of my apartment. Your neighbor let me in here when I explained I was a friend." The neighbor was probably Mikua Ichni, a widowed old woman who had a copy of my key. She was very frail, and I felt it might be good for someone who lived near her to have a key in case she needed help in a hurry. Ichni, however, was stubborn and demanded a key from me before she would give me one of hers. She had said, "In case you steal something of mine, I'll be able to steal something of yours." I don't think that in the nine months we've exchanged keys that I can convince her that I would never steal from her. However, I considered stealing my apartment key back, for her punishment for letting Chiharu in.  
  
"Why did you come to my apartment?" I asked, exasperated. I couldn't have this woman in my place. No way.  
  
"Hari has friends here in Tokyo, and they had room for her, but not me. I don't have any friends in Tokyo, except for old ones from school. So, Tomoyo said I should come here, because you would have room. I don't mind the couch." Tomoyo would pay dearly for this.  
  
I sighed, and said, "Okay, you can stay here. But, please, find somewhere to stay after tonight." As much as I loathed having her on my couch, I couldn't just turn her away onto the street. I stalked off to my bedroom, the matter settled. Despite the fact that I was a jumble of emotions, and the reason for them was only a few feet away on my couch, I managed to fall asleep from exhaustion.  
  
***************  
  
When I woke, I could smell bacon and eggs. Thinking I was still dreaming, I struggled out of bed, and padded to the kitchen, where I found Chiharu making the breakfast with those items, plus pancakes.  
  
"Good morning, Yamazaki," she said, a slight smile on her face that was visible before she turned away from me. I realized, after a time, that it was because I was wearing nothing but my boxers and sweatsocks. Face red, I rushed back to my bedroom to put on something more presentable: khaki shorts and a Yomiuri Giants T-shirt. I returned to the kitchen to find a plate of food already at the table. "I made you breakfast," Chiharu told me. "Thanks for letting me sleep here."  
  
"Yeah," I grumbled. I found the food to be pretty good, although the bacon was a little stiff. Well, she'd never been an Iron Chef. "It's good, thank you," I decided to add politely.  
  
"Look, Yamazaki..." Chiharu sat opposite me at the table, a searching look on her face. I took a drink of milk while awaiting what she was going to say. "I'm sorry." I didn't say anything, for what was to say? I could forgive her, but that seemed wrong to me. The more I thought about it, the more I realized my life was all screwed up because of her. A simple 'sorry' couldn't make up for that. "I shouldn't have written that letter, sent that picture. Fact is, I never meant for us to break apart like that."  
  
I nearly spit out my milk. "That's hard to figure," I said.  
  
"Let me finish," she said. "I don't know if you remember the picture or the letter to clearly..."  
  
"It's a bit hazy," I lied, while recalling the exact texture of the paper and a crisp, clean rendition of the photo in my mind. I was crazed and obsessed with that letter and photo, I freely admitted to myself.  
  
"Well, it was a lie. The letter was, at least." This time I did spit out my milk. It sprayed all over both the table and Chiharu, the latter who used a towel I provided to clean it off. "There was no Brian, there was no man in America."  
  
"Then who is the guy in the picture? You both looked pretty happy together."  
  
"His name is actually Robert. He was my skating partner when I though I wanted to be a couples skater. It was a publicity photo for when we made it big together. You know, then the news stations would have something cute to show on TV and the papers. But later, I decided I'd rather do a solo career. Anyway, the only reason I sent it to you was to make you jealous. It seems that I misjudged you."  
  
"No, I was jealous. But also angry, hurt, depressed, injured. What kind of dumb idea was that? Make up a boyfriend!" My voice had risen during the last few sentences. All this time, while I had thought she had just stopped liking me, it turned out she had only tried to make me jealous. I didn't know whether to laugh or cry at the sheer idiocy of it all. "For what? Did you want me to come out there, to Denver!?" I yelled.  
  
"Yes," she said softly, on the verge of tears.  
  
"I was going to!" I was practically screaming. "I had saved almost enough money to come to Denver and surprise you! I was going to apologize for being such a jerk when I found out you had decided to go to America! And then, I get your letter, and that was it!"  
  
"You...you were?" she said, the tears now flowing. "I...I made such a mistake."  
  
"Yes, you did! Maybe we both make plenty of mistakes! I don't know!" I stopped talking, and Chiharu's sobbing was the only sound for a while. Then I continued, in a lower-decibel tone. "I can't believe I just spent the past five years wallowing around in self-pity and despondency because you made up a boyfriend. You made him up. You lied. It's unbelievable." I felt a little insane, maybe not completely awake, but definitely not myself.  
  
"Yamazaki..."  
  
Suddenly I did not want to continue the conversation. I stood up, in no mood to see Chiharu anymore. I couldn't believe the revelation Chiharu had just told me. I noticed she had finished her breakfast, so I told her she should leave. She just nodded, wiping her wet eyes and runny nose on her shirt. I went back to my bed and crawled under the blankets, and fell asleep almost as soon as I held the front door open and close. I did wake up a few times while sleeping, but it was a sort of bizarre feeling. I had no conscious thoughts that I recalled later, only a numb sensation of being in my bed.  
  
It was around three in the afternoon before I finally crawled out of bed to clean up the mess from breakfast. Bacon fat, egg yolk, and butter had congealed in the frying pan, and the monotonous and mindless task of scraping it off with a teaspoon was strangely therapeutic. My back was feeling like new again, and that at least picked up my spirits a little. But only a little.  
  
That finished, I dressed for the rainy weather and took a walk around the neighborhood, in an attempt to sort through my thoughts. What seemed to be bothered me the most, I concluded, was that some part of me had actually wanted Chiharu to stay at my apartment. She never had a boyfriend, it told me. She had always wanted us to be together.  
  
The other side of me countered those arguments though. It's her fault, the other side said. She is responsible for everything that is wrong with me. Although it might be nice to wistfully yearn for the good old days, the plain fact was that those days were long gone, and were replaced by the inevitably of moving on.  
  
So the great debate inside of me raged on. Did the fact that there had never been a Brian or a boyfriend change anything? I decided to sit on the question, and see if an answer appeared later, although I was leaning toward it not changing anything. I spent the rest of walk trying to decide if I should cook the frozen chicken I had in my freezer or just order some food from a restaurant for dinner.  
  
At home, I saw the answering machine was blinking, so I checked it. "You have four new messages," the computerized woman announced. Sighing, I bet myself having the frozen chicken for dinner that all five concerned Chiharu in some way.  
  
"Takashi, Li here. Just wondering how you were doing, after last night. Oh, and the police want to talk to you about the man you chased, but I told them to wait a little bit." Well, I guess I was wrong about the messages. "And I heard Mihara was at your apartment last night. That's rough." Nope, there was a Chiharu reference.  
  
"Yamazaki-kun, you were very rude to Chiharu-chan! She came over here in tears!" This one was Tomoyo's. Guiltily, I realized that by kicking Chiharu out I had left her with no place to go. Luckily, she had found Tomoyo's house, I supposed. "At least you had the decency to let her stay the night, but then in the morning, after she makes you a breakfast, you..." I cut her off and went straight to the next message.  
  
"The machine cut me off." Tomoyo again. I was glad that I had skipped her previous message. She was still not done chewing me out! I listened only somewhat to what she was saying, and she ended with, "Call me back." I didn't want to.  
  
The last one was Chiharu herself. "I know you're angry with me, Yamazaki, and I'm really sorry. Truly." There was silence in the tape. "I just thought...never mind." The message was over. No longer could I tell myself I didn't want to see Chiharu again. I picked up the phone to call her, but realized I would probably end up talking with Tomoyo, so I replaced the receiver in its cradle. Maybe it was for the best that I couldn't call her, maybe I'd regret it later.  
  
I started preparing my chicken, and then dialed up the police. I answered the detective's questions, which sounded pretty standard, and told him about the man I chased. "I thought he was named Brian," I told him, "but it might be Robert. There is also the possibility he's not the guy I think he is. Also, I don't have any proof that he started the fire." The detective thanked me for the information, but his audible sigh before the phone connection terminated gave me the impression that what I told him was more bewildering than useful. I couldn't blame him.  
  
The chicken was done a few hours later, and I ate it with gusto. Afterwards, I noticed it was only six in the evening. I had slept most of the day, and I was far from tired. For lack of anything better to do, I got into my car and drove downtown. About half an hour passed, and I was still motoring aimlessly through Tokyo until I happened upon a club with a big banner that read "Singles Only!" It sounded silly, a truly American thing, but I was bored of driving. So I went into the club.  
  
Loud music assaulted my ears, and the lighting was low. I managed my way to the bar and ordered a soft drink. Several people about my age were dancing around the center of the room, a strange gyration of the body that seemed to have no rhyme or reason. I couldn't pick up the moves, and declined to dance.  
  
It wasn't long before a woman slid into the barstool next to me. "Hey," she said. She wore a black skirt with a white T-shirt that ended short of the skirt. Her hair was blonde and cut just above her shoulders. "What're you having?"  
  
"Sprite," I said, holding up my glass. "I only pretend it has alcohol." She called the bartender and ordered a Sprite.  
  
"You seem like a nice young man. Why are you in a place like this?"  
  
"Nothing else to do," I replied truthfully.  
  
"I'm here because my friend dragged me here, but I don't expect to find anyone. I don't like the club scene much myself."  
  
"Me neither," I said, suddenly interested her for the first time. "I've never been to one better."  
  
"Really," she said sarcastically. "I couldn't tell, what with the fact you don't dance and you are drinking soda. Uncaffinated, even."  
  
I laughed. "Well, I see you are doing the same thing right now."  
  
"That's because you're cute," she giggled. She thought I was cute? Women didn't say that about me. If the hair didn't scare them away, the fact that I rarely seemed to open my eyes did.  
  
"Must be the low lighting."  
  
She laughed. It sounded very nice, musical. "Then step outside, and let me see you in good light." This was really going somewhere. I was almost in total disbelief as we walked out of the club and into the night air, which was getting very cold, although the rain had stopped. The streetlight above us provided plenty of light. "Yeah, I was right. You are cute."  
  
"So are you," I said, unable to come up with anything original. "Yes, you are." Normally, of course, I wasn't suave around the ladies, and blew my few opportunities to make something happen. I didn't want to do that ever again. My actions around Hari had been an exception, but I had used the guise of thanking her for the umbrella to rationalize it as something other than a date. So I summoned my courage, and said, "Go to dinner with me." Perhaps I could have said it more politely, maybe make it a question, but she didn't seem to mind.  
  
"I like it when men are direct," she said, giggling again. "Just let me tell my friend I'm out of here and we can go to whatever restaurant you want." She ran back into the club.  
  
It was only two minutes before she reemerged. "Okay. What restaurant do you want to try?"  
  
"I don't know," I admitted. Even with two minutes to think about it, I hadn't come up with anything. Suddenly, one popped into my head. "There's Chez Cabot, the French place." I instantly realized that was a poor choice, being an extremely formal restaurant, and quickly said, "Sorry, we aren't dressed for that. Why don't you pick?"  
  
She laughed again. "I know a place down a few blocks from here."  
  
"Good," I said. "Let's go." We chose to walk instead of taking my car, because she told me it wasn't that far. Along the way, I learned her name was Mayumi, one of the most intriguing names I'd ever heard. She was twenty-two, and in college to become a veterinarian. She seemed impressed by the fact I was a newspaper writer. Apparently she hadn't read any of my drivel.  
  
The restaurant was a tiny thing called The Big Eatery, obviously a joke. Nothing about it was big, except the portions, which were huge. I could barely finish half of the salmon I ordered. I had completely forgotten about the chicken I had already eaten before I left the apartment until we arrived, but I did not to say anything to Mayumi about it. I was glad, too, because even though I wasn't hungry, I still had a good time.  
  
After dinner, I offered to drive her home. "Oh, what a sweet gentleman!" she cooed. I blushed almost imperceptibly.  
  
Her apartment building turned out to be right next to the burned-out building that Chiharu and Hari used to live in. A felt a pang of guilt when I thought of Chiharu, as if I was cheating on her with Mayumi. Quickly pushing it aside, because that was crazy, I exchanged phone numbers with Mayumi, and watched her go into her building before driving home.  
  
*************************************************** 


	4. Whatever Tomoyo Wants, Tomoyo Gets

CHAPTER 4 - Whatever Tomoyo Wants, Tomoyo Gets  
  
"Goooo-!"  
  
Getting up quickly, I turned off the radio before the DJ could wish me good morning, and tell me what a beautiful day it was, because I abhorred that, especially when it was cloudy and rainy, as it was yet again. Even though I got up at my normal time, I was sluggish from all that I did last weekend, and moved slowly.  
  
When I got to the office later that morning, everyone was crowded around Syaoran's desk, where Maraki was handing out the week's assignments. "Takashi!" Maraki called to me gruffly. "You're late." Without waiting for the excuse I was planning, he thrust out a piece of paper to me. "Write about this," he ordered. It was usually this way.  
  
I sat down at my desk and began reading the paper, a groan growing inside of me. My assignment was to report on the degraded sewer system and the government's plans for improvement. This meant, almost assuredly, that I would have to, at some point, venture around the sewers to get a good enough view of the problems to write about them.  
  
Sighing, I decided to wait on beginning the story and made my way back to Syaoran's desk. He wore a frown when I approached. "Did you talk to the police?" he asked me. "Oh, yeah, and how's your back?"  
  
"Yes, I called them, but I don't think I made much of an impression. As for the back, thank Sakura for me. It feels great."  
  
"Anything else of note happen? Like maybe...Mihara?"  
  
"You know she came over, and then...well, I'd rather not discuss it." Syaoran nodded. "But, I will tell you this. I had another date last night, and she didn't look anything like Chiharu."  
  
He was silent for a while, then said, "Well, that's great, Takashi." Syaoran didn't seem very enthused for me, and I had a feeling it wasn't because he was jealous. He seemed to be looking past me, but I ignored it.  
  
"Her name is Mayumi, and we really hit it off. It was unlike anything I've experienced in a very long time."  
  
"Like maybe what you experienced with Chiharu-chan?" I nearly jumped out of my shoes at the voice behind me. Tomoyo stood there, an unreadable expression on her face. "I didn't surprise you, did I?" she asked, an eyebrow raised.  
  
"Actually..." I started.  
  
Before I could continue, Maraki strolled over to Syaoran's desk. "I didn't know there was a party at Li's desk this morning," he said, a joke that was not so obvious with his flat tone. "Are you two actually going to work or are you going to talk to this woman?"  
  
Tomoyo quickly held out her hand. "I'm Daidouji Tomoyo. My mother is the head of the biggest toy company in the country."  
  
"Okay," he said, unimpressed. "You're bothering my writers, Daidouji- san." At least he had enough sense to add the honorific, but she was still going to make him look foolish.  
  
"I think I'm going to buy this cute little paper and fire you," she said offhandedly, as if she were alone. "And give Syaoran-kun here a raise." I noticed she omitted me from getting the raise. She must be a frequent reader of my work, or perhaps that was her way of saying she wasn't happy with me.  
  
Maraki, a man who towered over the slim and rather short Tomoyo, bowed as gracefully as he could, obviously intimidated, and left without another word, but not before agreeing to allow me as much time as I needed to go across the street to the coffee house there and talk with Tomoyo.  
  
"I wish I could threaten to fire him," muttered Syaoran.  
  
"Come on, Yamazaki-kun," said Tomoyo. "We're going to talk, since you didn't call me back." There seemed to be an edge to her voice when she said the last sentence. Syaoran gave me an amused look as we left the office and went to the coffee house in silence. After we got our drinks and sat down in the lobby, Tomoyo said, "Okay, what are you doing, Yamazaki- kun?"  
  
I didn't know quite how to answer, so I said, "Drinking my coffee."  
  
"No. I mean, you going out with other women."  
  
"What is wrong with that?" I said defensively.  
  
"Technically, you and Chiharu-chan have never broken up."  
  
I bristled. "Well, it's been done indirectly."  
  
"What do you feel for Chiharu-chan?"  
  
"Nothing," I said pointedly. "Look, you know about Brian, right?" Tomoyo nodded. "It turns out that 'Brian' is actually her old skating partner Robert, and she never took a boyfriend in America. Good news, right?" Tomoyo nodded again, but stopped when I shook my head. "That doesn't change anything that I've felt the past few years, and it means that she lied and put us in the situations we are in now. Maybe it's partly my fault, for not going to America, but I thought I would look pathetic, coming all the way over there so I could be rejected in person. It wasn't a role I was willing to play."  
  
"You're angry because you know the current state of matters between the two of you could easily have been avoided, if either one of you had done things differently. You still harbor feelings of affection and, dare I say, love, for Chiharu-chan, no matter what has happened." Well, well, I didn't know Tomoyo was a trained therapist now.  
  
"No, that's not it," I said, while at the same time a small voice in my head questioned my words.  
  
"You're just too stubborn and full of pride to admit it," Tomoyo continued, as if I hadn't spoken. "I also know why you would go out with another girl." I didn't want to hear her theory, but she gave it to me anyway. "It's because of Chiharu-chan." What in my life wasn't because of Chiharu? Tomoyo leaned in close to me. "She built your confidence back up."  
  
"Please, explain," I said, half-sarcastically.  
  
"You found out that she didn't end the relationship. Your ego, which until then had been pretty much shot, came back with a vengeance. Now, you feel like you did nothing wrong with Chiharu, and you were never dumped." So, what she was basically saying was that I had a date only because I felt better about myself. Well, perhaps she was right. She usually was. When I didn't reply, she said, "Now, stop being so pig-headed and give Chiharu- chan another chance. You belong together! Like Syaoran-kun and Sakura- chan! Like me and...well, never mind that."  
  
"Like you and that creepy English guy," I said quickly. I was referring to Hiiragizawa Eriol, the blue-haired kid who had shown up for a very short time at our school, still kept in touch with Tomoyo, Sakura and Syaoran, although Syaoran always seemed less than thrilled to discuss him. He was a creative liar, I gave him that, but he still freaked me out sometimes, what with the looks he gave you, as if he knew everything about you in just one glance. I shivered just imagining it.  
  
Tomoyo looked flustered, a rare emotion for her. "No, he's a...friend." She regained her composure. "Anyway, we're talking about how you and Chiharu-chan are perfect for one another."  
  
"No we aren't," I said blandly. "You seem to think so, but I don't believe it to be true."  
  
"You're making a mistake, and I'm not finished proving it," Tomoyo told me ominously. I replied that I didn't think so, thanked her for buying me the coffee, and excused myself so I could root around in some sewers. I could feel her icy stare on my back, but did not turn around or otherwise show her that. I got the feeling that Tomoyo did not understand how I felt, and I did not feel much like trying to explain anymore than I had.  
  
****************  
  
"Look at these pipes," Nokimura said. "All rusted over. They won't last much longer, I think, without replacement. Or at the very least, a repair job." I nodded for what seemed like the hundredth time, jotting down more in my notebook. Nokimura was guiding me through the sewers, pointing out the trouble spots and making personal conjectures on the causes and fixes of the problems. Mostly, he spoke and I nodded. We both waded around in knee-high rubber boots, exploring the sewer system like rats.  
  
"As you can see," Nokimura pointed out to me, "the sewage is a little more green than we'd like." I nodded. He turned to a wall that looked like every other wall in the damn sewer. He huffed at it. "This here's a new one. A crack in the wall. See it?" I examined the wall, and after squinting I found the crack, an almost invisible blemish. "I'm going to need to call someone down here for this," he said. "Got enough material for your story?"  
  
"Yes, thank you," I said, glad for the opportunity to leave the sewer. I followed him as we mucked back to the opening we came in from the sewage plant. He handed me an address and said it led to the house of someone who was willing to give me further information about my story. I thanked him and left the plant, beginning my walk to the address scrawled in near-perfect lettering on the slip of paper. I decided not to drive not because it was a short distance - in fact it was almost three miles from the paper to the plant, perhaps more than that to the new address - and not because the weather was nice - it was still raining - but because I relished the time alone. I was able to pretend like I didn't have a problem. At least, that was the idea. But it was failing miserably.  
  
Chiharu and Mayumi cycled through my thoughts as much as I tried to push them out. I tried to consider how much Japanese baseball players going to America was hurting the Japanese game, but then Chiharu would show up in my brain, in her old cheerleader outfit, to root for Ichiro while I slowly went insane. When I thought of what I might have for dinner that night, Mayumi appeared in my thoughts to bring me to restaurant after restaurant until I nearly burst from all the food in each restaurant. And then, thinking about Mayumi would cause a pang of guilt to hit and I would think about Chiharu. "Make it stop!" I said, unintentionally aloud. A man who walked by me gave me a frightened glance and picked up his pace. I rued my decision not to drive; I could concentrate on driving if I was in my car.  
  
It was about two hours of this before I arrived at the address on the paper. It was a ridiculously large mansion, one that didn't fit in with the apartments and tiny houses I was used to seeing amongst my friends and family. I rang the buzzer, and an old man who I assumed was some sort of butler answered. "Yes?"  
  
"My name is Takashi Yamazaki," I started, resisting to urge to add that I was slowly losing my mind. I figured that didn't send a very professional feeling. "I was sent here by Nokimura, because someone here can help with my story."  
  
"Ah, yes, Takashi-san. Please, come to the back and meet the mistress," the old man replied. Mistress? Nokimura had made it sound like I was meeting a man. The old man cut off the connection, and soon after the metal gate opened up to admit me. I ambled through the yard around to the back on the little stone steps placed in a path around the grass. The grass was flanked on each side by rows of cherry blossom trees. I had never seen so many cherry blossom trees in so small an area.  
  
I made it to the back of the mansion, where more cherry blossom trees could be found in a large area in the center. A picnic table was situated near the back door to the mansion, and an old man that I assumed was the same one I had encountered at the buzzer waved me over.  
  
"The mistress is very excited to speak with you," the old man said. "She will be out in a moment." He placed a glass of lemonade in front of me. "She wants you to have this until she can join you."  
  
I thanked him and almost tipped him before remembering he wasn't a waiter. Certainly, I wasn't used to the idea of butlers and maids. He bowed and left me alone to stare at the almost comical number of cherry blossoms. Many of them were in full bloom while the rain poured on top of them, and I was glad for the cover over the picnic table. I was soaked from my walk, so a little more rain probably wouldn't have hurt, but I appreciated the break from the weather nonetheless.  
  
The back door opened, and I stood to greet my host. Tomoyo exited the house, and I just about died. I had had no idea this was Tomoyo's mansion. I should have guessed, though. "Yamazaki-kun, imagine seeing you here!" she said sweetly. "What a pleasant surprise."  
  
Run, you fool! That was what my brain said, but my legs refused. Instead, I spoke. "Let me guess, you paid off Nokimura to make him give me your address."  
  
"I do know a little about sewers," she said. "I'm sure I can contribute to your story."  
  
"Of course you can," I muttered. "Well, if this is some kind of trick to make me do your bidding and see Chiharu, it won't work." As if waiting for that cue, Chiharu emerged from the mansion into the porch. For a while, we just stared at each other, the rain beating against the ground the only sound. For the first time since I'd seen her again, I looking into her eyes, and found them to be gloomy, as if she were missing something important. We still said nothing.  
  
"Well, do something, you two," Tomoyo urged., sounding, for all the world, exasperated. "I'll go make us some tea." She reentered the house.  
  
"That Tomoyo-chan," chuckled Chiharu nervously. "She seems dead set on getting us back together."  
  
"I know," I said, glaring at the spot where Tomoyo had stood as if she were still there. "It's a hopeless endeavor, you know."  
  
"Is it?" she asked.  
  
Suddenly, I wanted to say that everything was all right. I wanted to run up and hold her like I always had. I wanted us to be together...I shook off those feelings. It was only my vision of a perfect world, one where nothing bad happened. However, that world didn't exist. I could feel, deep within me, that I still held resentment for everything that had happened. Try as I might, I could not forget. And so, until I could forgive and forget, I could not be involved in Chiharu's life. I had to treat her harshly, so she would leave me alone. It was going to be painful, but I had to do it.  
  
"Is it really a 'hopeless endeavor', as you say?" I heard her repeat, ending my thoughts.  
  
"Yes," I said, trying to keep my voice hard and emotionless.  
  
She sighed. "I guess you're right. Too much has happened to us in between our meetings. I guess I was just wishing for the way things used to be. Now, we barely know each other anymore."  
  
"We're better off going our separate ways," I said. All the while, I was telling myself not to give in, not to let her ruin my plan of hurting her feelings enough to make her want to stay away from me. I figured it was better for both of us.  
  
Chiharu shook her head. "Please, Yamazaki-kun, at least can we be friends? I want to know what you're like now." She sounded so sad, I couldn't muster up the will to say no. So much for being hard and emotionless. Well, I was never good at that.  
  
"Okay," I said resignedly. "You know my number." I was trying to decide internally if I was making a mistake, but then figured being friends couldn't be harmless. Or maybe I was just being a fool.  
  
"Thank you, Yamazaki-kun. You don't know what this means to me. I feel so responsible...I'm glad you are giving me the opportunity to maybe fix things." I didn't know if she could fix anything or make it worse, but I didn't have the heart to say it, especially when she gave me a small hug. At that hug, I felt content, like that was the way the world was supposed to be. But when it was over, the feeling passed, and I tried to push it out of my head.  
  
Tomoyo finally came out with the tea. I figured that the old man had made the tea while Tomoyo watched us from inside, but I didn't say anything regarding it. Instead, I declined the tea, saying dryly that I had collected all the information on the Tokyo sewers that I was going to get at the Daidouji residence, which was to say none. Tomoyo offered to walk me out.  
  
"So, now you're friends," she said after we had left Chiharu. Had she been listening to our conversation as well as watching? Maybe she could read lips. She scared me sometimes.  
  
"Yes," I said.  
  
"It's inevitable, you are going to get back together," she said forcefully, as if it were a given, which it was most certainly not. "The first step has been made. You no longer want to avoid her at all costs. That is excellent progress. I am very pleased." See? Very scary.  
  
"Well, if we do get back together, which I don't think will happen, but if we do, then we'll absolutely have to go on a double date with you and Hiiragizawa." She stopped and stared at me. That shut her up. I'd found her Achilles' heel, and it made me grin.  
  
"Eriol-kun and I will go as friends, then, to humor you, Yamazaki- kun," she said carefully, accentuating the word 'friends'. I nodded, amused, and left the mansion, whistling a tune through my teeth. The rain seemed to have stopped, and the sun was poking through for the first time since early last week. Somehow, things seemed to be picking up for me. This worried me somewhat, however, because good things didn't happen to me very often, so it seemed like something bad would have to happen to balance it out. On the other hand, I could just be neurotic. Settling on the second choice with a grin on my face, I continued the next mile of my walk with a bounce in my step.  
  
******************************** 


	5. And That Makes Three...

A/N: I felt I must take time out to thank those who reviewed and/or read this story so far. So...thanks all of you!  
  
Anyway, on with Yamazaki's story...  
  
*********************************  
  
CHAPTER 5 - And That Makes Three...  
  
The sidewalks and streets were still wet, and I hopped around the puddles like a schoolboy. Eventually, my jovial mood gave way to self- inspection. I was happy because I wasn't cutting Chiharu out of my life, not just because I had found something to tease Tomoyo with. I made the right decision after all to be friends with Chiharu again.  
  
It was getting late into the afternoon, and I realized I had spent much of the day walking. I would pay for it later with sore muscles, but at the moment I simply enjoyed a day where I did little but walk. A tingling sense in the back of my head kept telling me something was out of place, but I couldn't say what, nor did I care to. Nothing seemed out of place with me, for the first time in as long as I could remember.  
  
However, the nagging feeling would not disappear. I turned around, as if looking for something. The people walking around me turned to look at me while I glanced around, but I ignored them. Finding nothing out of the ordinary, I continued on. The haunting feeling of there being something wrong was gone.  
  
I walked back to my desk, finding it was near time to go home. I examined my rather pitiful amount of notes and gave a little regretful sigh, since I would have to work harder the next few days to make up for my lack of work today. Maraki coughed, and I found him standing over my desk at me. I wondered how long he had stood there while I had looked at my notes.  
  
"Takashi, where the hell have you been?"  
  
I remembered I hadn't told Maraki where I was going, and he probably was curious as to whether or not I had done actual work or was just skipping out. "I was out collecting facts all day," I lied, hoping he would not ask to see my notes, which did not reflect an entire day of work.  
  
"Let me see those notes," the big man said suspiciously. So much for that hope. I reluctantly handed him the notepad. Maraki studied them quickly, then handed them back.  
  
"Good work. Sorry I doubted you." He handed the notepad back, and I took it thankfully. Well, I was not impressed with my notes, but maybe they were more than he expected from me. I wondered if he expected anything from me. "Tell me if you're going to leave all day again, Takashi," he added.  
  
"Some...unexpected...sources came up that I couldn't pass on," I said as explanation, but he had already left the desk and was waddling his girth around to the other desks and writers.  
  
After I typed up my notes on my computer, I shut the machine down and left. Most of the other writers were doing the same, it being a Monday and the stories not due until Friday as always. Machi caught up with me as I was walking to my car.  
  
"Takashi! My car is in the shop. Care to give me a ride home? My morning ride here left early, it seems."  
  
"Sure, you can have a ride," I said. "But only if I can win the next Ping-Pong game between us."  
  
"Never happen," she joked, and I had to agree.  
  
The car ride seemed a bit awkward, but I couldn't say why. Machi didn't seem very comfortable in her seat, squirming around as she was while giving me directions. Fortunately, it was nowhere near Chiharu's old apartment or Tomoyo's mansion, as I had suspected it might be. Finally, something could happen that didn't lead to Chiharu.  
  
"You missed a turn," Machi said softly.  
  
"I'm sorry," I said. "I was thinking about something else."  
  
"What?"  
  
"It's no big deal."  
  
I made my way back to where I was supposed to go, and we arrived at her apartment. It was in one of the nicer buildings in Tokyo, and I said so. "My roommate has a good job," she said with a smile. "She's very nice, and doesn't make me pay as much as she does for the rent, because she knows I can't. Of course, I feel guilty about it, and plan to make it up to her someday."  
  
"Well, that's very admirable of you," I stated, unsure of what to say in the situation.  
  
Machi and I had never exchanged anything other than non-personal banter before. I had never even seen her outside of the office. So it was very surprising when she said, "Why don't you meet her?"  
  
"Now?" I said, checking my watch. It was late in the evening, but it wasn't too late. Still, I didn't know how I felt about going up to Machi's apartment. I half-expected this to be another of Tomoyo's ploys, and I would go up there to find Chiharu waiting for me. Kami-sama, if that happened I'd probably go insane and have to be committed.  
  
But, here came that inability to say no to women again. That was starting to become quite the curse upon me. "Okay, I'll go up there and meet her," I said, parking the car in the carport of the building and cutting the engine.  
  
"Great! I just know you'll like Mako-chan!" Suddenly I wondered if Machi meant to set me up with this roommate of hers, and I expressed this fear. "Oh, no, I don't mean to set you up with her! Of course not!" I held back my sigh of relief, and actually felt a little stupid for worrying.  
  
Her apartment was, in a word, large. The entry room was expansive, the kitchen had all the amenities, even the hallway leading to the bedrooms was wide. My entire apartment probably could have fit in the entry room. "Mako-chan!" Machi called. "I'm home."  
  
A slender woman with a very short haircut appeared from one of the bedrooms down the hall, wearing nothing but a long T-shirt that barely went halfway down her thighs. Upon seeing this, I quickly turned away while she yelped. "Konishi-chan! You didn't tell me you brought up a guy!"  
  
"I didn't expect you to be dressed like that," Machi replied, laughing. I stood off to the side, embarrassed for Machi's roommate and myself. She went back into the bedroom, only to come back out a minute later completely dressed. She even had a scarf.  
  
"Donoto Mako," she said, introducing herself to me. "I'm sorry about the way you saw me earlier, Takashi-san," she told me, her cheeks flaming red.  
  
"You know my name?" I asked. I had almost missed it, but she had said my name and I had not told her it.  
  
"Konishi-chan talks about you all the time," she said. "I guessed it was you by the way you look." Machi hit her with a pillow from one of the couches.  
  
"I talk about all the guys in the office," Machi told me hurriedly. "Only good things, though." She seemed a bit more nervous than usual.  
  
"Right," said Mako. "Of course. Anyway, I'll go make some tea for your guest here, Konishi-chan." She went out into the kitchen, leaving Machi and me alone in the entry room. Machi offered me a seat on a chair, and took up the couch near me. I felt vaguely unsettled, as if something were wrong with the scene.  
  
"Takashi," she said, "have you ever...liked someone, but were not sure if they'd like you back? In fact, you were almost certain they didn't like you back?" I felt I knew where this was heading, and it wasn't a good place. Kami-sama, why?  
  
"If you're going to say that..."  
  
She cut me off. "Before you get any ideas, I'll tell you." Too late, I already had ideas in my head. "Takashi, I think...I think I love you."  
  
Vertigo hit like a hammer, and I doubled over in the chair. It didn't really seem like the words should have been that shocking, because I had been expecting her to say something to that effect right before she actually did say it. Maybe it was the word 'love'. Chiharu appeared in my head, at least a junior high-school version of her did, and said, "I love you, Yamazaki-kun," before fading away. The last time a woman had said she loved me was when Chiharu last said it to me. Everything reminded me of that woman, Chiharu. I wished that wasn't true.  
  
"You don't feel the same way, I guess," she said sadly, regarding my hunched over figure.  
  
"Well," I said, trying to recover. I steadied myself on the arms of the chair. "Honestly, I've never thought about it." I saw her dejected look and instantly decided those weren't the most tactful words. My head started to ache, and I wished I had declined to come to the apartment. "What I mean is, we barely know each other. I mean, really know each other, not just the stuff we talk about at work. I just think that maybe you have a little infatuation with me. I can't really be love." That seemed somewhat safe.  
  
"Maybe," she said. I could see she was going to start to sob. Oh, crap. "Could you at least give it a shot? How about dinner tomorrow?"  
  
I wondered at the ethical implications of going out with Machi, considering I hadn't called back Mayumi and found out if she was still interested in seeing me again. What if I ended up having to go out with both of them at the same time? That was frightening, particularly if they somehow found out, which they probably would. Also, I had to work with Machi, and if I didn't find a way to end this gently, she could make the office a living hell for me, intentionally or not. My head pounded with the ache. Maybe I shouldn't call Mayumi. So many options, none of them jumping out as the right one.  
  
"Could I sit on that for the night?" I asked, hoping that a good night's sleep would allow something to present itself.  
  
"If you want," she said. I had to hold back the sigh of relief again.  
  
"I just need time to organize my thoughts," I added. "I'm tired, and nothing in my head makes sense." Machi nodded. "And, I should probably go now. Don't worry about the tea." She nodded again. "Tell Donoto-san it was nice meeting her," I said, offering my good-bye soon after and letting myself out. There probably was a way I could have handled the situation better, but I couldn't think of it.  
  
My head was swimming with thoughts, not the least of which was wondering why all these women were suddenly converging on me all at once, in the span of just four days. Chiharu, Machi, Mayumi. No women for about six years. Now three of them. It was enough to make me question the world. Maybe Kami-sama has a sick sense of humor.  
  
The night air was chilly, and the rain was starting to come down again. I hurried over to my car, hoping to make it there before the rain could pick up its intensity. However, I noticed that someone was standing next to my car. Actually, he was leaning on it. Without thinking, I shouted, "Hey, get away from my car!"  
  
He looked up from the ground he had been staring at. I couldn't see his face in his sweatshirt hood despite the fact that it was a well-lighted carport. For a time, we faced each other unmoving and silent. I started to wonder if maybe I should just leave, for I was unarmed and I had no idea if he had any weapons on him. I did know that he seemed to have been waiting for me.  
  
His movement came first. He reached into his belt and pulled something that glinted in the lights. I recognized it as a knife, and suddenly felt panicky. "Do you want my wallet?" I asked him, hopefully. He could have it. My wallet was perpetually light.  
  
He said nothing, but advanced on me. I backed up, trying to keep distance between us. I stopped when I hit a wall of the carport. Thinking that perhaps I should make a run for it, I looked to the exit, but then I didn't want to put my back to him. Eventually, that was all moot, as he was too close for me to get by him.  
  
Now we stood only a couple yards apart. I finally could see his face, and I suppressed a moan. It was the goateed man from the scene of the fire, the one I thought was the guy in the photograph that I involuntarily recalled in my memory. "Robert," I said breathlessly.  
  
"Stay away from my Chiharu-chan," he said, waving the knife threateningly. "She loves me, only she doesn't realize it yet. You keep getting in the way." Well, it wasn't because I wanted to get in the way. On the other hand, I didn't feel like I should subject Chiharu to this freak. He was crazed, and I needed to do something about him.  
  
"I don't think she loves you. You're her old skating partner, correct?" Diplomacy was the only way out of this, that I could see, for me. My head was definitely not feeling any better, but I couldn't let that cloud my judgment or make me say the wrong things like I had with Machi, because it could get me killed this time.  
  
He nodded at my question, confirming that he was Robert, but said, "She does love me, but only I know it." Okay...wacko. I wanted to get away very badly. He still held that knife out in front of him, and he looked like he knew how to use it. Wonderful.  
  
"Maybe she does, who am I to know?" Don't anger him, but don't necessarily agree with him. I was walking blindly on eggshells here. I couldn't afford to crack even one of the metaphorical eggshells. "But I do know this. You won't impress her by brandishing a knife."  
  
"I won't have the knife around her," he said, in a tone that indicated that should have been obvious. This situation was starting to become somewhat surreal. "Now, tell me you'll leave Chiharu-chan alone."  
  
It was silly, but I didn't want to say that. "You can't expect me to just stop seeing her like that, can you? I've known her almost my entire life."  
  
He growled, and then made his move. Time seemed to slow down as he lunged at me with the knife. Cursing, I fell to the side, the knife passing me, striking the spot where my heart at been before I moved. I quickly picked myself up and started to run toward the exit when he brought the knife in a wide arc, slashing at me and catching my upper right arm. I gave a little yell and gripped the bleeding wound with my left hand.  
  
Robert held the knife point out to me, as if to finish me off. I was kneeled on the ground on one knee, drops of blood hitting the ground with alarming frequency. Pain seared through me and caused me to become less aware of my surroundings. "Remember," he said, his voice appearing to be slurred due to my affected hearing, "leave Chiharu-chan alone, or I will make you leave her alone." Robert returned the knife to his belt, looked both ways as if trying to find a possible witness, and then ran off.  
  
Gritting my teeth, I raised myself to a standing position. I didn't feel like I had the energy to rip my shirt into a tourniquet for the gash on my arm, which felt deep and hurt like hell. Just the simple shock of each step was enough to cause ripples of fiery pain to run through my body. I moved as quickly as I could, which wasn't very quickly, to Machi's apartment, and, lacking the ability to knock on the door, I yelled out her name. She answered the door quizzically, wearing her bathrobe, and then let out a little frightened gasp when she saw my arm.  
  
Pulling me into her apartment, she grabbed a stray shirt and tied it around my arm tightly. I felt myself slipping into unconsciousness from blood loss, and Machi slapped me gently to keep me from doing that. My legs felt like rubber beneath me. Mako rushed in to see what Machi's commotion was about, and instantly went to grab her car keys and insisted I let her take me to the hospital, something I was not able to resist. The two women had to help me to the car, and by the time we got there they were practically carrying me.  
  
I lay on the car backseat, groaning and bleeding on the car's nice leather interior, for which I, impractically, felt guilty, while Mako sped to the hospital. I was trying very hard to stay awake during the trip, but my eyelids were leaden weights that wanted to shut and let me sleep. I finally did succumb to sleep, the last feeling of mine before then being that of Machi stroking my hair concernedly.  
  
**************  
  
Groggily, I woke up in a hospital bed, the white sheets nearly blinding to my still focusing eyes. Slowly, the reason for why I was there came back to me, and I touched my arm, and winced involuntarily. It was heavily bandaged and very tender to the touch. At least it seemed to be something that was not serious.  
  
The sky, visible out the window, was black, and I wondered what time it was. Finding no clock, I swung my legs out, intending to go seek one, and found them bare. I was only wearing a little hospital gown, specially designed to cover the smallest amount of...personal area...possible, and so decided to just stay under the sheets of the bed.  
  
It was a little while before a doctor came in. She was middle-aged and had a kind face. "Ah...Takashi-san," she said. "I am Kiyure Mai. Awake already? I expected you would sleep through the night."  
  
"What time?" I asked, my throat dry.  
  
"That's unimportant," was her answer. "Your arm wasn't cut that deep, although it did need eighteen stitches. Whatever cut it hit an artery, causing the blood loss. Don't worry, you didn't lose enough that we would worry too much, but you may feel a little weak until your body can produce enough blood to replace what you did lose."  
  
"Thank you for the report," I said.  
  
"Go back to sleep," she said. "Your friends are doing the same out there, poor girls. Feel asleep sitting on those awful benches."  
  
"Can you move them to beds?" I asked. Machi and Mako deserved better than a bench for sleep. It was my fault they were here.  
  
"Sorry, those are reserved for patients. You never know." I sighed and realized that was true. "Tomorrow, you can answer the police's questions, because no one seems to know how you cut yourself, but right now, just relax and sleep." I took Kiyure's advice, was asleep by the time she had left the room, at least glad that for the first time in a while, I could relax, and no women were on my mind.  
  
*********************************** 


	6. Discussing the Past

A quick note: In this chapter, the POV will switch between Yamazaki and Chiharu. Yamazaki is normal type, and Chiharu is italics. Just so no one gets confused. :) 

****************************************************

CHAPTER 6 - Discussing the Past

The officers listened to my story and jotted down a few things in their notebooks before thanking me and leaving, their parting words being, "We'll do our best to find this guy." They tried to sound reassuring, but they honestly did not have a clue on where to begin looking. Frankly, neither did I.

Machi and Mako stayed at the hospital for as long as they could, but I told them they didn't need to remain and insisted they go to work. Soon after they left, I was informed I could leave if I was ready, and I was. A taxi was waiting for me, and it took me to my car. I was glad to find that no one was waiting for me this time. 

I went straight home and found my answering machine full of messages. Tomoyo, Chiharu, Syaoran and Sakura, and Machi had all left messages wishing me well. Maraki had left a message as well, telling me that my story would get moved to a different writer and I didn't need to bother coming into the office for the rest of the week. I didn't know what I was going to do with myself with all the time off. 

I decided the nice thing to do would be to call everyone back and tell them I was okay. Syaoran was up first, because I really wanted to put off talking with Tomoyo. "Takashi!" he greeted me. "What happened? Machi came in saying you were at the hospital, but she didn't know why other than you had a cut."

I gave Syaoran my story, excluding only that Machi had told me that she loved me. I still didn't know what I was going to do about that because I hadn't given it any thought. "I think Chiharu is keeping something from me about that old skating partner of hers," I finished.

"Or maybe he's recently gotten a screw loose," suggested Syaoran. "Either way, he's becoming a dangerous man. A knife...damn."

"Yeah."

"Well, we should be more careful," said Syaoran, his tone deadly serious. "Robert could go after anyone."

"Right," I said.

"Here, talk to Machi," he said, his tone shifting quickly to a more lighthearted one. "She's very interested in talking with you." I feared this. I hadn't thought about what she said and being forced to answer was not something I was prepared to do. Before I could make up an excuse for why I couldn't talk to her, she was on the line.

"Takashi, are you okay?" she asked.

"Yeah, I'm doing great. Thanks for last night, by the way. I owe you one."

"No problem." There was silence for a while. "You can make it up to me with a dinner," she said, the hope clear in her voice even over the crappy phone I was holding. Well, there was no way I could see that I could say no and not look like a jerk. She had driven me to the hospital and then slept on those uncomfortable benches. Maybe I could just play this as a friendly dinner, although Machi might not see it like that. 

"Okay, dinner. Tomorrow night sound good? I'll pick you up." I figured we should do it as soon as possible, get it over and done with.

"Yes!" she said excitedly. "See you then, Takashi!" I listened as the phone exchanged hands again.

"Takashi, if I eavesdropped right, and I think I did, I would think you were going to dinner with Machi," said Syaoran slyly. "Is that true?"

"Yes," I said. "To thank her for taking me to the hospital last night."

"Yeah, of course," he said. "Uh oh, Maraki is looking at me like I'm a baggie of mouse remains because I'm discussing personal matters on the phone. I'd better go."

Figuring Syaoran could relay the fact that I was all right to Sakura, that left Tomoyo's house on my dialing list along with Mayumi. Saving Tomoyo for last, I called Mayumi.

"Hello?" Mayumi said, on the other end.

"Ah, hi...you," I said, suddenly realizing I didn't know her last name, and not wanting to call her by her first name. "This is Takashi."

"Takashi-san!" she said excitedly into the phone. "I was beginning to think that you didn't like me."

"No, no," I said. "I had a great time Sunday night. I didn't have time to call you yesterday because...I was busy, with, umm, work." I wasn't keen on explaining what had actually happened, because I had already done that many times. "Boss is a moron, you know," I said, adding a hearty laugh for effect.

"I understand," she giggled back. There was now silence. I needed to do something that would put my mind off Chiharu. Another date with Mayumi might do that.

"So, umm, do you want to, ahem, go to a movie?" Smooth. At least the words were semi-intelligible.

"With you?" she asked coyly.

I tried to say, "Yes, of course," but I ended up being nervous and squeezing it together so it didn't make any sense. I quickly said it again so she could understand. "Does Thursday work? I don't work that day."

"Oh, it works perfectly. I'll give you a call tomorrow to find out what time." 

When I hung the phone up, I had a immeadiate feeling of guilt. Dammit, everytime I do something with Mayumi that feeling pops up. I really had nothing to feel guilty about, right? I didn't know anymore. 

Sighing, I called Tomoyo's house. 

"Yamazaki-kun," Chiharu answered when I called. That was a surprise, since Tomoyo usually was the one to get the phone. I noted absently the addition of the honorific. "I'm glad you're okay. When I found out from Li-kun, I was worried for you."

"Well, I'm okay, so you don't need to worry." That sounded corny to my ears, but it was said and I couldn't take it back.

"Can you tell me what happened?" For the third time that day, I told the story of the man and the knife. "Do you know who did it?"

I hesitated. I didn't want to tell her outright that it was her old skating partner. On the other hand, I wanted to make her aware of the possible danger she could be in. "Well, I don't know him very well, but I think you do."

"What?" she said, confused.

"I think the man that attacked me was the same guy who set the fire in your apartment." She gave a small moan. "And, I believe he is the man in that picture that you sent with your last letter."

"Yamazaki-kun, please, forget that stupid letter," she said. "I told you, I'm sorry that I ever sent it, okay?"

"No, Robert, your old skating partner, is the man who set the fire and attacked me."

There was silence on the other side of the line. So much so, in fact, that I thought maybe she had hung up on me. "Are you sure, Yamazaki-kun?" she finally said. 

"Very sure," I said, in a more dire voice than I intended. "There has to be something between you and Robert that you aren't telling anyone about."

"N..no," she said, very unsteadily.

"Fine, if you don't want to tell me..."

"Okay, you're right," she said quickly. "I don't want to tell you over the phone, though." I supposed if I was going to be her friend, I was going to eventually have to see her in person. It scared me, though, because I could start to feel myself liking her more and more everytime I saw her, even though I was trying not to. As long as we were on the phone, I could push out the mental image of her pretty brown eyes, that little ponytail she had her hair in the last two times I had seen her, which was different than the little curly pigtails but not a bad difference, and then there was the...I slapped myself. Stop thinking about that, I chastised myself. "Yamazaki-kun!?" I heard the phone shout. "Are you listening? Is something wrong?" 

"Oh, I'm sorry, Chiharu. I was...distracted." I had been thinking about her so much I had forgotten to actually listen to her.

"I was just suggesting that you could come over to Tomoyo-chan's and I would make you some lunch. At least, if you're well enough to drive." Before I could offer a suggestion of my own, involving a place far away from the force that was Tomoyo, she added, "Tomoyo-chan will be at work today. I guess there was a big fiasco with one of the new toys. A small child choked and almost died on one of the pieces. She'll be putting out fires with the media all day."

"Good," I said. A split second later, I explained, "I mean that Tomoyo will not be there, not that the kid choked."

I heard her laugh on the other side of the line. "I know what you meant. So you'll come over?"

"Yes," I said. "I can drive. I'll leave right now."

Chiharu was waiting for me at the gate when I drove up, wearing a little blue summer dress despite the rain, and her hair was in that ponytail, with light blue ribbons streaming from the base of the ponytail. She had an umbrella, from which water dripped in front of her face, obscuring it somewhat. I made myself promise to keep myself from thinking about her too much, because you never knew what those thoughts could lead to, perhaps even lead to something you would regret later.

"Does it hurt?" she asked compassionately when I approached, pointing to the bulge on my arm where the bandages covered my healing wound.

"It feels fine," I assured her.

"Oh, and hello. I forgot to say that," she grinned. "Come on in to the house, the food's in there."

I followed her in, thinking that I was really going to have to ask Tomoyo about all the cherry blossoms. There must be a reason for them.

"You're wondering about the cherry blossoms?" Chiharu asked. Apparently I was being rather blantant in my staring at the trees. "I wonder about them too, but Tomoyo-chan just says she likes the way they look. If you want to know what I think, I think that..." she stopped. "Sorry, I'm blabbling."

"It's okay," I said, berating myself internally after I found myself enjoying the sound of her voice too much. I reminded myself that I had a girlfriend of sorts now, even if I had only seen her once, and her name was Mayumi, not Chiharu.

We came to the house, and entered an expansive living room. It was bigger than some houses, it seemed. It took a very long time to reach the dining room, which featured a very long fancy looking dining table that was big enough to seat fifty people. The dining room also contained a smaller table, which was only slightly more impressive than a card table and did not fit in with the rest of the house and which had plates and glasses for two facing each other. "Sit here," Chiharu ordered. "We don't want to use that stupid big table. This one isn't as nice, but I like it more. Anyway, I'll be back with the food." She left and quickly returned with a fruit platter and a tray of sandwiches. "Sorry it isn't very fancy, but I didn't have much time."

"I'm never in the mood for fancy," I said. I felt slightly uncomfortable, like I should have brought something, like a dessert, or a drink, although I didn't know what kind of drink was appropriate at an informal lunch between two friends. Certainly not wine or sake.

After we had starting eating, and I had complimented the sandwiches for their deciousness, if that was even a word, Chiharu said, "Well, no point in waiting any longer. I'll tell you about Robert." She gave me the story.

*************

_I had first arrived in Denver with conflicted emotions. I was thrilled to begin my career as a figure skater. On the one hand, the way things had gone between you and I had worked to dampen my spirits a little._

My mentor, Rudy was his name, was a middle-aged former Olympic competitor, a man who had seen me in a competition in Japan and told me I would be perfect as an Olympic skater. I had assumed it would be as a solo skater. However, I quickly discovered that he only wanted me as a pretty face for his "star" male, who turned out to be his son, Robert.

Robert seemed a nice boy, and, being young and meek, I did the couples thing with him. But he couldn't skate very well, something that frustrated me. I felt bad for him, but I also wanted to have a chance at the Olympics, something I knew I would never have with Robert. We skated together for a year, by the end of which I was ready to quit skating, because I was so depressed having to skate with him, and my mentor refused to coach me if I went solo.

There was a woman, however, that saved me. She was not a skater, but she knew I could skate much better on my own. The woman - her name was Matsui Kekio, she was from Japan as well - began showing up more and more often at my practices with Robert. One day, she finally approached me.

"You skate very well," she said. I gave her a smile and thanked her. She patted me on the head. "If only you didn't have that guy to weigh you down."

I was about to turn red, because I knew Robert was in hearing distance, but fortunately he did not understand Japanese at that time. So I told her that I was stuck with him no matter what I thought of him, and that was that. She told me that no one is ever stuck anywhere.

After that, I didn't see her for a while, and sort of forgot about her. Three months into our second year together, Robert decided we should become more than just skating partners; we should be romantic partners. I was of course devastated that you had never come to Denver or even written me a letter in a while, but I didn't want to go out with him, either. So I turned him down.

He seemed okay with it for a while, and we continued to train like normal. Another three months passed, and it was getting close to start trying to qualfying for the Olympics. Robert again tried to get me to "become his ice-skating and life partner", as he put it, and I said no again because, quite frankly, I didn't even like him at this point. I think he was finally realizing how bad a skater he was and he wasn't even putting any effort into our routine anymore.

Matsui-san returned, however, the day after that second love attempt of Robert's, and told me I should train under her, because I would be so much better alone, without Robert to drag me down. I was excited for the oppurtunity, and went to tell Rudy, who got very nasty with me.

"You can't leave for another trainer unless I say you can," he told me. When I asked why, he showed me the contract I had signed when I first arrived, one I stupidly did not really read, and I realized I really was stuck. Either I remained under Rudy with Robert, or I quit skating all together. Neither option would be good, but I elected to go with quitting skating, and I returned to Matsui-san to deliver to her the bad news.

She was smiling the entire time while I told her what Rudy said, and what my decision was, even when I began crying. I was angry at her for looking so happy, until she handed me a tissue and told me to dry my face and wait for her to talk with Rudy. And she crossed the ice rink, not slipping once on the ice even though she was wearing heels, and found Rudy. I didn't see what happened, but Matsui-san came back across the ice, again, not falling, and said, "Come on, Chiharu-san. You don't have long to prepare a program for the Olympic qualifying, do you?"

Matsui-san could not train me, because she did not know how, but she gave me an oppurtunity to skate solo, which I was glad for. She brought me back to Japan, and I did most of my remaining training on my own at a local ice rink after it closed to the public. The man who ran it was nice enough to let me use it at night, as long as I worked a few hours a day to pay for my nighttime use. And, after watching hours of skating programs on tape, I came up with a routine by myself, one which I was very proud of. 

Come qualifying time, I was not very technically sound, but I guess they saw enough in me to name me to the Japanese skating team. I got to compete in the Olympics that year, an experience I'll never forget. Of course, you probably know how it turned out, Yamazaki-kun. I didn't do well enough in the first round to be considered to have a chance in the second and final round. It was sad, but it was also okay, I thought I would just try again in the next Olympics, with a full four years of training behind me, and an oppurtunity to compete in some world championships as well.

When I returned to the little ice rink, Matsui-san was there waiting for me, with a sad expression on her face, the first time I had ever seen that. At first, I thought she was disappointed in me for losing, but that wasn't the case.

"I'm going to have to leave you soon," she said.

"Why?" I asked

"Something things happen that you can't prepare for, Chiharu-san, even if you know they're coming."

I was utterly confused. "Well, that's true..."

"Whatever happens, remember that everything will work out in the end." Then she got up, gave me a hug, and left the rink. "Always be happy, Chiharu-san," she said in parting. I didn't know what to say, so I just waved as if she was going to the grocery store and was being overly dramatic about it.

That was to be the last time I saw her; she was right. When she didn't come back, I thought maybe she had abandoned me, and it depressed me. Three weeks from the time I last saw her, I received a letter from a lawyer telling me to come to a reading of Matsui-san's will. This was my first clue that the worst had happened, that Matsui-san was dead. I cried a lot that night.

Included with the letter was more than enough money for a plane trip to Tokyo, a hotel room, and a plane trip back. I arrived in Tokyo and found out Matsui-san had named me her heir, for she had no other family. I was stunned, and began to wonder who she really was, and realized I had absolutely no idea. Matsui-san was a enigmatic person. She never talked about herself, and in some way I think she forecasted her own death. I wished I had told her how apprieciative of her I was, but I also got the feeling that she knew.

***************

Chiharu stopped talking while she cried, remembering Matsui. I couldn't think of anything much else to do except go over and comfort her, because anything else, including sitting there and muttering something soothing but useless, would somehow seem unfeeling or callous, but I wasn't sure how to go about comforting her. I was out of practice with that sort of thing. I got out of my chair and went next to Chiharu, planning my next move. While I did that, she stood up as well and buried her head in my chest, dampening my shirt with her tears. It felt strange, but it also had a comforting familiarity to it. The only thought that went through my head was that Matsui must have meant a lot to her.

"I'm sorry, Yamazaki-kun," she said, jerking away as if she had just realized what she was doing, and wiping her face with her napkin. Sniffling, she continued, "I should be talking about Robert, but I've never talked about Matsui-san before to anyone, and it just came out, I guess."

What to say here? "If it makes you feel better to talk about Matsui-san to me, then please do."

"Oh, you're so kind, Yamazaki-kun," she said, smiling through the sadness on her face. I felt my own face turn red. What was going on here? Probably the very thing I was hoping to avoid, but I refused to admit it to myself. "I'll try to move on from Matsui-san."

**************

_Anyway, Matsui-san was a moderately wealthy woman. I later learned that she had actually paid Rudy a hefty amount of money to break his contract with me. She also, as part of her will, authorized the purchase of the little ice rink I trained at, and authorized the complete rehaul of it into a world-class facility. When it was finished, it certainly didn't fit in with the rest of the small town, but it was good for me. I also got a trust fund of money, which is money I've never touched nor do I ever plan to, because it was hers._

I never did really get to enjoy that ice rink, though, because while it was being built, I found Robert. Or rather, he found me. He acted very glad to see me, although I was not particularly thrilled to see him, especially when I discovered he'd hunted me down in order to make me fall in love with him, something I just could not do. He'd become hopeless without me, not being a good skater by himself - go figure - and had dropped skating soon after I left with Matsui-san. Then he had taken a crash course in Japanese and moved to Japan to find me.

When I turned him away for the third and final time, he didn't take it well at first. I thought for a second me might even go so far as to strike me. I had never liked Robert, but that was the first time I truly felt afraid of him, for he was furious. Eventually, though, he calmed down, and left, but not before saying, "One day, you'll think back to this time, and wish you'd made a better decision." I shivered as he disappeared from view, but I was relieved as well, because I thought I had seen the last of him.

***************

My only thought, when Chiharu finished, was that she could be in real danger, and I couldn't ignore the anger I felt toward Robert for putting her in that position, and perhaps a little selfishly, I couldn't ignore what that meant about me.

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	7. They Meet

A/N: Sorry this chapter is behind schedule, but I've been busy, so I couldn't update earlier. And I won't be able to update again until next weekend, because of a trip. But don't worry, I'll finish this no matter what. :)  
  
*****************************  
  
CHAPTER 7 - They Meet  
  
Chiharu sighed in her chair, the sheer act of telling the complete story of her time as a figure skater a draining achievement. "I got to use that new training facility for exactly one month, but I wasn't myself, and I wasn't concentrating well. While practicing one of my jumps, I hurt my knee, and then my skating career was over. But you know that, Hari-chan told you." She looked up, and regarded me oddly. "Your fists are clenched, Yamazaki-kun."  
  
While Chiharu was telling me about that cretin Robert, I had steadily felt my anger toward him rise until I was seething. What I found interesting is that I hadn't felt this way after he attacked me, but now Chiharu tells me a story of her encounters with him from a few years ago and suddenly if he were in the room I'd be at his throat, and they'd have to get four burly men to lift me off of him.  
  
With Chiharu watching, however, I unclenched my fists and let my anger dissipate. She seemed to visibly relax. "I can't believe he found me," she said. "I came to Tokyo to hide from him, and Hari-chan let me live with her."  
  
"You shouldn't have to hide from Robert," I said, spitting out his name acidly. "He's obsessed with you, but he has to be set straight." What a burning sense of justice I had. I didn't know exactly how to set him straight, but the way I was talking, it sounded like I was planning on doing the setting him straight. Which was something I was more than likely not equipped to do.  
  
"I suppose," she said, her head low, "that I'll end up meeting with him again."  
  
"I don't know what he'll do if that happens. He's not sane, I can tell that much." I pointed to my wound. "This is proof of that." I couldn't help but notice that I felt scared of what might occur if Robert actually did find Chiharu. "Anyway, as long as you stay in here, you'll probably be safe from him. Daidouji has a big metal gate around this extravagant mansion."  
  
"I'll feel like a prisoner in here," she said morosely. "Besides, I have to leave to work at the cafe, which I'll be doing tomorrow."  
  
We sat in silence for a while, mulling it over. It was true she couldn't stay at Tomoyo's house forever. But it was also true that she might be safe out alone. But someone couldn't hang around her all day, everyday. Unless...it would mean asking Tomoyo a favor, but I felt like she would have no problem fulfilling my request.  
  
"Will Daidouji be back soon?" I asked.  
  
Chiharu checked a clock, then laughed. The circumstances being what they were, the laugh seemed a little forced. "Why am I looking at a clock? I don't really know," she admitted. "Why?"  
  
"I want to talk to her," I said, refusing to elaborate.  
  
Nodding, she said, "I can call you when she gets here. Oh, but then you'd have to drive home and then drive back here later today. Seems kind of a waste, right?" Uh, oh, what was she getting at?  
  
"It's really no..." I started, but Chiharu ran over my words without letting me finish the thought.  
  
"Why don't we wait for Tomoyo-chan by going to a movie?" she suggested, as if it was just an idea that came to her. Somehow, I figured she had been planning it for a little while. It was not surprising, though, for she'd been alone in the house all day, and if I left, she'd be alone for the rest of the day as well. She just wanted some company, and I happened to be here.  
  
"Okay," I agreed.  
  
"Thank you, Yamazaki-kun!" she said happily. "I've had one I've wanted to see for a long time, if you don't mind?"  
  
I didn't mind, because I could not think of a single movie myself. Thinking back, I realized I hadn't seen a movie in at least three years. I found it wasn't very fun to go alone.  
  
The theater she wanted to go to was fairly close to Tomoyo's house, so the car trip was rather silent except for the murmur of the car engine. The rain lightened and had halted completely by the time we reached the theater. When we arrived, I read the sign above the theater: "Don't Leave Without Me". I asked Chiharu if this was a romantic comedy.  
  
"Yes," she said with a smile.  
  
"Your favorite genre," I muttered.  
  
"You remember?" she asked, eyes showing pleasant surprise.  
  
"Ah, well, I guess it just stuck here," I said, tapping my head.  
  
The movie itself was a typical yarn of a story. A guy meets a girl, falls in love, then the girl tells him she's leaving for another city, and the guy goes through many situations, many of them intended to be comedic, to find her before her flight leaves. He finds her, of course, and the girl realizes she loves him too and doesn't go to the new city. Happy ending. Chiharu enjoyed it. The movie seemed to put her in good spirits, so I thought it was worth it, even if I didn't like it, perhaps because it was, in my opinion, rather optimistic. In real life, he'd probably arrive right after her flight left, what with the luck of most people, and when Chiharu asked me what I thought of the movie, I said that.  
  
"Well, it does seem a little bit fortunate that her flight got delayed so many times," she admitted. "But the point was that if two people have enough love they'll end up together no matter what." I huffed at the sappiness and she rolled her eyes with amusement.  
  
Tomoyo had not come back home when we came back to the mansion to check. "Now what?" she asked. "Do you want to see another movie?"  
  
"Not really," I said.  
  
"Me neither. So let's go shopping!"  
  
"Excuse me?"  
  
"Shopping! I can't do that alone anymore, remember?" She was starting to milk this playfully, I could tell. What I couldn't tell was if this would lead to anything unexpected.  
  
"Fine, we'll shop. Or rather, you can shop, I'll follow you around."  
  
The shopping center was rather crowded for a mid-afternoon on a Tuesday. At an expensive designer store, Chiharu pointed out clothing that was so expensive that even Tomoyo might balk at buying them, and tried them on, she said, "Just to see what they'd look like on me." While she did this, I sat outside the women's dressing room waiting for her to return after she brought in an armful of clothes, feeling a little uncomfortable.  
  
I was ten minutes into waiting for her when I felt someone tap my shoulder. I turned around and jumped out of my seat, finding Mayumi's smiling face right next to mine. "Takashi-san, what brings you to the women's department?" she asked.  
  
Her appearance had caught me off guard, and I hadn't completely recovered. "Ah...I'm here with a friend."  
  
She gave me a suspicious eye, the very thing I didn't want to see. "A friend?"  
  
"Yes, just a friend." Chiharu chose this time to emerge from the dressing room. Perfect timing, of course. "And here she is," I said, idiotically announcing her presence.  
  
"These clothes are so nice, it's too bad I can't afford any," said Chiharu. She turned to Mayumi and acted like she hadn't noticed the woman before. "Oh, hello!"  
  
"This is Mihara Chiharu, my friend," I explained.  
  
Chiharu nodded to Mayumi, who nodded back and said, "I'm Tejiro Mayumi." Tejiro. That was her last name, the one I had forgotten. After a short pause, she added, "I'm going to dinner with Takashi-kun on Thursday." Chiharu stared blankly back, and Mayumi felt compelled to say even more. "He's my boyfriend." I opened my mouth to say something, but thought the better of it. I really couldn't think of anything to say.  
  
"He is," said Chiharu, simply, blandly. "Well, have fun on Thursday."  
  
There was a long awkward pause where both women stared at each other. It reminded me of when prize-fighting boxers do a stare-down to try to intimidate the other. Finally, Mayumi said, "Well, then. We will have fun. See you then, Takashi-san." To Chiharu, her tone turned almost imperceptibly icy. "Nice to have met you, Mihara-san." She waved to me, and then walked away, her motions fluid and smooth.  
  
I breathed a sigh of relief as she left. I saw Chiharu's sullen expression, and was puzzled. Was she really upset that I was going to dinner with Mayumi? "She's not really a girlfriend," I explained, trying to come up with some words. "She's more of a...dinner date. You know, because...she...did me a favor."  
  
"No, no, it's okay," said Chiharu, perking up. "You can go out with whoever you want, of course."  
  
"Well, I just want you to understand I don't like her all that much." This was, I was fairly certain, a lie, although her actions around Chiharu were, to me, fairly unattractive. If there was one emotion I didn't like, it was jealousy.  
  
Nevertheless, despite my most fervent hopes, Mayumi seemed to loom like a cloud over the rest of the shopping trip, and Chiharu and I talked much less than before. Finally, Chiharu told me she was done. "Thank you for taking me out, Yamazaki-kun," she said appreciatively. "It was fun for me."  
  
"I had fun, too," I threw in quickly. Perhaps too quickly.  
  
Tomoyo was back by the time we finally made the return to her house. It was dusk, and the clouds were back, bringing with them some more rain. Adding to the clouds, wind was swirling around Tomoyo's house, and our coats flapped around as we made our way up to the front door and inside the house.  
  
"Yamazaki-kun, you went out with Chiharu-chan?" greeted Tomoyo, the approval clear in her voice.  
  
"Yes, he was very nice to me today," said Chiharu. "I also got to meet his lady friend."  
  
"Lady friend?" said Tomoyo, feigning ignorance. She wasn't fooling anyone. I knew that she knew everything, and I was only exaggerating a little.  
  
"Teijro-san. A nice person, I think."  
  
"Ah, well, she's a...person...that I know," I interjected slowly, a few words at a time.  
  
"Very well said," said Tomoyo dryly.  
  
"You don't have to hide anything from me," Chiharu said. "I can handle you having other female friends, you know."  
  
"Of course," I said almost instantaneously. "But I don't want you thinking she's something she's not." My aim was clear, I was going to keep up the lie that Mayumi was just an acquaintance. Chiharu had given me an out, but I didn't take it. I'd tossed the dice, time to go with the roll.  
  
"Okay, Yamazaki-kun." She shook her head, and droplets of rainwater clinging to her hair flew off and landed on the furniture and carpeting. Chiharu noticed the water, and said sheepishly, "I'm going to go dry off now," while leaving the room. It was now just Tomoyo and I. She was prepared to take advantage of the time alone with me. It was my turn to frown.  
  
"Brilliant idea, Yamazaki-kun," she started, "to have Chiharu-chan find out about Tejiro-san."  
  
"It wasn't planned," I said defensively. "Anyway, what does it matter? Am I not allowed to have other friends?"  
  
"You are, you are," she said slowly, as if considering. "But she can tell you're lying. She always could tell when you lied, partly because they were always such implausible lies. You never meant for anyone to believe them. And now, you tell this lie, that she is 'just a friend', and you expect her to believe it." She smirked. "Sorry, Yamazaki-kun, but not even Sakura-chan would fall for that." When I didn't say anything in response, still mulling it over in my head, she continued, "Did you see how she left the room? There were probably a million hidden messages you missed. Not that I blame you, you are a guy. One of the more intelligent guys, I think, but still a guy."  
  
"And what do you think I missed?" I challenged.  
  
"Oh, come on." If Tomoyo was one to roll her eyes, this would have been the time for them to roll into the back of her skull. "Almost as soon as you told her nothing was going between you and Tejiro-san, she made up some lame excuse about being wet and needing to dry when, quite frankly, she was barely damp, for she wasn't in the rain long. She wanted to get away from you."  
  
"Well, we have been together all day, maybe she'd had too much of me."  
  
"Don't be foolish. You and I both know that isn't it." She was right, I did know. "Now, your little 'date' with Tejiro-san is when? Tomorrow?"  
  
"No, tomorrow is Machi," I said, instantly regretting it.  
  
Tomoyo looked at me, her expression blank as a fresh sheet of paper. "Tomorrow is Machi? What does that even mean? Is this another girl? What are you running here, a harem?" She said it so deadpan I would have laughed if I wasn't busy trying to defend myself against her verbal barbs.  
  
"No, no!" I said loudly. "Machi is the one who drove me to the hospital last night, and I am thanking her by going out to dinner with her."  
  
"I see. Well, that's innocent enough. But, why was she in position to drive you to the hospital?"  
  
"Ah...because I had been over at her apartment." I suppressed a curse. What was it about Tomoyo that made me sing like a canary?  
  
"That's a little less innocent." She paused, apparently searching for the right buttons to push. "Anything of note...happen...there?"  
  
"Nothing you need to worry about," I said. "We had tea, that was all." I would have bet any amount of money Tomoyo could see through that lie, but she decided to drop it like she did believe it.  
  
"Okay, nothing more," she said, as if she were a prosecutor dismissing me from the stand. It certainly felt that way.  
  
"Wait, before I go, I have a favor to ask," I said, remembering the reason I had wanted to speak to Tomoyo. "You know that Chiharu might run into some trouble around Robert, right?" She nodded. "Well, then, perhaps you should...if you could..."  
  
"A bodyguard?" said Tomoyo. It was my turn to nod. "Sounds like a good idea, I suppose. She may balk at it, but that's too bad. She will have the bodyguard." Her tone was soft, one of those rare instances, it seemed, where it was soft while talking to me. "You are very considerate, and you obviously care about Chiharu-chan. What are you doing with these other women?"  
  
"I guess I have not forgiven her yet," I said, departing from the room.  
  
"You hold grudges too long," she called to my back.  
  
"Good night," I said, without turning around, while going through the front door.  
  
I arrived back home, and climbed into bed without changing. For a while, I lay considering what Tomoyo had said, especially her last line. "You hold grudges too long." Was it true? Most everything she said was true, but I had a hard time believing that one. I didn't feel I was being out of line at all, but Tomoyo was acting like I was practically cheating on Chiharu and that we were supposed to be together. As if the world was out of balance if we were apart. Maybe that was how it worked in those romantic comedies, but those were different from real life.  
  
The rest of the time I lied in bed, before I dozed off, was spent thinking of a good restaurant to take Machi too. I tried to think of one that said, "I like you and thank you for your good act, but I can't say I love you like you love me." Then I laughed out loud at the absurdity of the thought. There was no such restaurant that could say it for me, I would have to do it myself, with my own words. And that was a scary thing. I still had absolutely no idea about how to go about that. I couldn't come up with anything that would let her down gently and keep our working relationship intact, or at least civil to the point where she didn't want to hate my guts.  
  
I sighed deeply, wishing she hadn't told me she loved me. This was the only thought that ran through my mind until I finally fell asleep.  
  
******************************************** 


	8. Dinner Date

CHAPTER 8 - Dinner Date  
  
Because I didn't have to go to work for the rest of the week, and because I fell asleep so late, it was almost noon by the time I roused myself. Lethargically, I got ready for the day, realizing I needed to call Machi to tell her when I would pick her up for our dinner.  
  
Freshly showered, full of food from lunch and feeling a little bit better about the day ahead, but not much, I dialed her up at the office, hoping that the setting would facilitate a short call.  
  
The phone rang unanswered for a while, then the voice messaging service kicked in. Finding that leaving a message would be sufficient, I patiently awaited the beep, then said, "Hello, Machi, this is Takashi, calling about tonight. I'm hoping to pick you up at eight tonight at your apartment. If that's not good, call me back with a better time." Awkwardly, I ended, after a short pause, "Also, any restaurant ideas you have would be great. I'll eat almost anything, but I don't know about you. Umm, okay, bye." Answering machines always mess with me. I never know how to talk to them.  
  
In case Machi had no ideas on restaurants, I picked out one just in case. A Mexican-themed semi-formal one called Rancho Alegro. An odd choice, to be sure, but the circumstances surrounding the date were odd anyway, so it seemed to fit.  
  
I burned the time leading up to the dinner by lounging on the couch, watching television. Nothing good was on, and I didn't really focus on it, instead choosing to be half-asleep most of the time. When it was nearing eight and I hadn't received any phone calls, making me assume that was a good time, I drove over to her apartment, parking this time on the street, instead of in the carport.  
  
Her friend Mako answered the door and let me in, informing me that Machi was running a little late, something Machi confirmed with a yell from down the hall. I sat down, Mako sitting opposite me in a chair of the same pattern as mine. It was an uncomfortable silence that followed, one which Mako broke after she slid into a couch and brought her face close to mine, making me wonder a little as to what she was planning, a wonder that was quelled relatively quickly.  
  
"Konishi-chan likes you a lot, you know," she said to me quietly, so as to not let Machi hear from where she was getting ready. "And I can see why. You're very cute."  
  
I shot her a look. "If you're going to..."  
  
"No, no," she interrupted, throwing up her hands. "I'm not going to try to get you on a date or anything like that." I was very glad for that. "I do have a boyfriend, myself. I just thought I'd offer a compliment."  
  
"I see."  
  
"Anyway, I just want to ask you a favor," Mako said slowly.  
  
"Favor?"  
  
"Let Konishi-chan down gently, please?"  
  
"What do you mean?" I asked, playing dumb.  
  
"I can tell you don't feel the same way about Konishi-chan as she does you."  
  
"I see," I said again, subdued. "Well, I suppose you are right."  
  
"What's the problem, anyway?" she said, suddenly changing her tone from nice to angry. "You're too good for Konishi-chan?"  
  
"Uhh," I said, thrown off guard by the change in attitude.  
  
"Sorry," she said quickly. "I didn't mean that. I know there are sometimes reasons that cannot be explained, except that you don't have that feeling about her. That feeling that she may be the one."  
  
"Right," I said, not completely disagreeing.  
  
"So, will you? Be kind to Konishi-chan?" She looked almost pleading. I wondered if maybe there was a history of guys who were not kind to Machi. Or perhaps Mako was just being protective.  
  
"Yes," I promised.  
  
Machi entered the room right as Mako leaned back in her seat on the couch away from me. Her dress was a muted blue piece that had small sleeves and ended at the knees. She was smiling, and I threw on a fake smile because it was better than the grim face, worn by those who know they have a difficult and unwelcome task ahead of them, that I would have had.  
  
"Were you two talking?" Machi asked.  
  
"Just small talk, you know, about trivial things. To keep poor Takashi-san from doing nothing while waiting for you to get ready," said Mako.  
  
"I'm sorry I took so long," Machi said apologetically.  
  
"It's quite all right," I assured her. Changing the subject abruptly, I said, "I don't suppose you came up with a good restaurant? I'm up for any choice you have."  
  
Machi looked thoughtful for a moment. "I do like Tanchigawa. They have excellent swordfish."  
  
"Sounds good to me."  
  
As we left, Mako discreetly walked by me, whispering, "Remember, be kind." She said it ominously, as if there would be dire consequences it I failed to be kind. As if I didn't have enough pressure to do so.  
  
Tanchigawa was a small but nice restaurant named for the owner, who would best be described as jolly. He was the cook, and the kitchen was open for anyone to watch. He looked like he was having a blast back there, cooking away, especially when someone ordered the swordfish, his specialty, something that both Machi and I did.  
  
The first part of the meal went smoothly enough, as she talked about various pieces of office gossip that I nodded to, for lack of anything to say. I didn't involve myself too much in gossiping. Then she brought up the dreaded subject.  
  
"So," she said quietly, "have you given any thought to what I told you that night?"  
  
"Yes," I said, just as quietly. Searching for anything to say, I started with what I thought was a safe line, "I think you're a very nice person, but..."  
  
"Oh, I know what you're going to say," she said somberly. "You don't need to. I'm a nice person, but not good enough."  
  
"No, that's not it. It's more..."  
  
"This is what every guy says to me." So I had guessed right, this was something that happened to the poor woman a lot. Machi was on the verge of tears, something I wanted to avoid in the small but crowded restaurant. "There must be something wrong with me."  
  
"No, there's nothing wrong with you." Which was true, the fact remained that she was rather cute, and she had a good, friendly personality, thinking about her in a non-office sense. But I couldn't do that for very long. She was too much my co-worker, and that tended to make things different, and I told her so. "Maybe if we hadn't met as employees of the same newspaper, then something could have happened," I said, hopeful to get those eyes dry.  
  
"Really?" she said, almost pathetically. I nodded, and she said, "Then I'll quit the paper and get another job."  
  
"Err, no, don't do that," I said. The last thing I wanted to feel was responsible for her decision to lose her job. "There's another reason. There's...someone else."  
  
"No, that can't be," she said, completely serious. "Everyone knows you don't have girlfriends."  
  
I bristled. "They do?" I said, a bit peeved. They were right, technically, because Chiharu and Mayumi were the closest ones to being a girlfriend, and I didn't count either as such, no matter what Mayumi said. Still, the fact they thought that was a little irritating.  
  
She nodded, apparently not realizing this was quite a rude thing to be saying. Or maybe she did realize. "It's common knowledge. Everyone thinks you're just too shy to make the first move on women."  
  
"Everyone...thinks that?" I said. I wouldn't be able to look at the people in the office anymore without feeling embarrassed, if that was what they thought about me.  
  
"Which is why I thought I would have a good chance if I was the one who made the first move. Perhaps I shouldn't have said that I loved you, but it did have an effect, and it is true, a little."  
  
"Well, I'm sorry, but I do have someone."  
  
"Li did say you did, but I didn't think it was that serious."  
  
"Yes, Chiharu and I..." I nearly spit my water out when I said that. It was supposed to be Mayumi's name there, not Chiharu's. A mere slip of the tongue, I thought. Well, I certainly couldn't change it, that would probably make her think I was involved with two women. And that would get around the office, and soon I'd become the shy man cheating on both his girlfriends. I shuddered. "Chiharu and I have a...thing," I said, trying to make it as vague as possible.  
  
"I see," she said, eyes downcast. "Then I apologize for trying to break you apart."  
  
"You didn't know," I said. "Are you going to be okay?"  
  
"Yeah," she said, wiping moist eyes on the decorative napkin in her lap. "Eventually. I've learned to get over these rejections."  
  
"Don't think of it as a rejection, because it's not, really. It's more...bad timing."  
  
She frowned. "Bad timing? I don't know if that's better or worse than rejection."  
  
"I don't either. I'm not very good at being comforting."  
  
There was a hint of a smile on Machi's face. "No, but you do try."  
  
During the drive back to her apartment, I judged her spirits were at a good level, at least considering. I hoped they would stay that way. I really hadn't wanted to do this to her, but I felt that, in the long run, it was better than pretending I was interested in a relationship when I was not.  
  
I walked Machi to the door to her apartment. We said our good-byes, and she turned the doorknob halfway before stopping. "This won't change anything at the paper, will it?" she asked apprehensively, voicing my biggest concern herself.  
  
"I hope not," I said.  
  
"I'll pretend this whole episode never happened if you will," she said.  
  
"It's a deal," I said, very much relieved. I hoped very much that would happen, although I could imagine that there might be awkwardness when we were around each other, for a little while, at least. There had to be. But it should pass with time.  
  
Contented to have completed the task of mollifying Machi without injuring her, and rather successfully, I thought, I was in a good mood returning home. It was dark, and late, almost ten thirty, but I didn't feel tired at all. I stopped off at a video store and picked up a Jackie Chan action comedy, feeling unusually in the mood for a movie, and late at night even.  
  
Arriving home, I put my key in the lock, only to find it already unlocked. I cursed under my breath for forgetting to lock the door, and swung the door open, finding quite the surprise waiting for me.  
  
The living room was a mess, even by my standards. The cushions on the sofa had all been thrown off, apparently randomly. Drawers were open, and the contents strewn throughout the room. The television lay on its side, several feet from the upturned table it always rested on. In the center of the room stood two men, both wearing long gray trenchcoats, neither of whom I recognized. They were apparently waiting for me, though.  
  
"Takashi Yamazaki?" the bigger of the two said. I nodded absently, still trying to make sense of the scene. "I'm Detective Moriyama, and my partner is Detective Watanabe. If you couldn't tell, we're here because your apartment was the scene of a break-in." Moriyama gestured to the disaster area. "Technically, he was let in by your neighbor, Mikua-san." Watanabe grunted at the mention of the old woman. She was not one who was easily forgotten. "She let the suspect in because he said he was an old friend of yours. Not very smart, but plausible. Then she called the police at around nine because she heard noises coming from the apartment."  
  
"That was the suspect ripping this place apart," said Watanabe.  
  
Moriyama nodded. "Officers arrived, but the suspect fled and escaped. Strange thing is, nothing was stolen. Something was left, however. We believe it is for you."  
  
The detective handed me a note, which read, "I know you were with her." I couldn't stop the involuntary gulp. I was ninety-nine percent sure the note was from Robert. Moriyama and Watanabe both noticed my reaction.  
  
"Mean anything to you?" Moriyama asked.  
  
"Yes," I said, and explained to the detectives about Robert and Chiharu. Watanabe jotted down notes on a pad while I talked. I tried to leave personal details out, leaving it up to Chiharu if she wanted those to be known by the police.  
  
"You think this guy was the arsonist at that apartment building, and the guy who stabbed you?" asked Watanabe skeptically. I told him that I did. "Well, we'll look into it. This guy is quickly becoming the Tokyo Police's top priority. If he continues, someone may end up worse than just stabbed in the arm."  
  
"That's what I'm afraid of," I said truthfully.  
  
The detectives left soon after, refusing a cup of coffee and informing me that they had all the evidence they were going to get from the apartment and that I could clean up if I wished. Suddenly feeling very tired, I didn't much feel like cleaning up. Seeing, for the first time, the shambles in which both the kitchen and my bedroom were in, with almost nothing in its original position, made me even more exhausted. Yet at the same time, I didn't want to go to bed knowing that in the morning I'd have a day-long mess to clean up.  
  
I decided to clean up my bedroom a little, at least enough to make it look presentable, and save the rest of the apartment for the next day. All the clothes from my closet were conveniently spread throughout the room, and the drawers, always empty, were removed from the chest of drawers, which was more of a "for show" item than for actual use for me. Even all the sheets and blankets were torn from the bed. I found them tossed unceremoniously into the bathroom, the sheets partly submerged in the toilet. Sighing, I picked up the blankets, which were safely away from the toilet, and threw them on the bed. The sheets I rolled up and pitched into the trash, deciding to buy new ones rather than clean them. I knew I wouldn't be able to handle them knowing they had been in the toilet, no matter how many times they were cleaned. That was just the way I was.  
  
I was just about to climb into the sheet-less bed when there was a knock at the door. Grumbling, and at the same time cautious, I moved toward the door. I opened it slowly, then flung it open when I found Syaoran at the door, Sakura behind him, looking apprehensive. "It's a little late, don't you think?" I said, yawning for effect.  
  
"Yeah," he said. "Sorry. Sakura made me come. I tried calling you, to see how the wound was healing, you know, but your phone was off the hook, according to the recording. I didn't even get the answering machine. I didn't think anything of it, but Sakura demanded I make sure nothing had happened, especially considering that Robert is still out there. I did wait and see if maybe it was a phone company thing, but your phone was still not responding."  
  
"Well, something did happen," I said, showing the two of them the mess behind me. He whistled. "I think Robert paid me a visit. The police came and scared him away, but not until he did this. I didn't even check the phone yet." I invited him in and checked the phone. Indeed the plug connecting it to the phone line had been ripped out, and the answering machine had also been unplugged. I put those plugs back in, and turned around to find Syaoran inspecting the television.  
  
"He owes you a TV," said Syaoran. I checked and found that the television screen had a large crack down the center, something I had missed during my cursory glance around the room when I initially entered. I sighed and tossed some cushions onto the couch, offering a seat to Syaoran. He declined, however, stating it was late, and started to leave, before he found the note Robert had left me, which I had placed on one of the few undisturbed tables in the apartment, next to the door. He read it and said, "He means Mihara, right?"  
  
"I assume so," I said. "He must be spying on her, or me, to know that I went and talked to her yesterday."  
  
"Poor Chiharu-chan!" said Sakura. "And Yamazaki-kun, too," she added, embarrassed for having me as an afterthought.  
  
"As long as he doesn't do anything to Chiharu, then it's okay," I said. "But I don't believe he'll leave her alone much longer. He'll stop focusing on me and move to her eventually."  
  
Syaoran shook his head. "It's not okay if he's stabbing you and breaking into your apartment."  
  
"You should stay with us," interjected Sakura. "It's dangerous for you to be alone." She sounded ironically like I did when discussing Chiharu with Tomoyo.  
  
"I don't think that will be necessary," I said, thinking myself a bother for them, so close to their wedding. Syaoran, however, said that he agreed with Sakura, of course, and neither of them would relent to the demand, although the danger for the night had probably passed. Finally, I was forced to go with them, because they wouldn't leave otherwise. I packed a small overnight bag, hoping to keep the stay with them to one night. I left the apartment in a mess, and paused on the way down only long enough to slip a note to my elderly neighbor Ichni, asking her, as nicely as possible, to not let anymore people into my apartment. 


	9. The Missing

Tenshi - To answer your question, Machi is her family name, Konishi her given. Sorry it wasn't clear. Yamazaki refers to her by her last name because she was his co-worker before his friend, while for most of the other characters, who he knows in a more personal way, he refers to them by their given names.  
  
*******************************************  
  
CHAPTER 9 - Missing  
  
The couch I was given to sleep on, after I declined the bed, was rather uncomfortable. It took a while for me to get to sleep, and when I did it was so late that by the time I did wake up, Syaoran had already left for work. I sat up, and Sakura entered the living room. She must have had the day off, because she was dressed casually. I had forgotten to change clothes the previous night, and I imagined my appearance was none too pleasing.  
  
"Good morning, Yamazaki-kun," said Sakura, holding out a plate. "We have toast if you want some breakfast."  
  
"Good morning," I echoed, accepting the toast with a murmur of thanks.  
  
"You know, you can stay here as long as you want," she said while I ate.  
  
"That's very nice, but I'm sure I'll be fine going home today," I told her between bites.  
  
"Are you sure? If it were me, I'd be too scared to go back alone. Robert sounds like someone I wouldn't want to meet by myself."  
  
"Yes, I'll be fine," I said, not wishing to intrude any longer. Besides, I wanted to get back to my bed. The toast was finished, and I knew I should return and finish the work of cleaning up my apartment, but Sakura was looking at me with such a worried look that I almost felt guilty leaving.  
  
"Don't you ever feel lonely in that place?" Sakura asked suddenly. "It's just you there. No one to talk to."  
  
"I manage to live, somehow, despite the horrible bleakness," I said mordantly, surprised she would say such a thing.  
  
She might have caught the tone, but then again perhaps not. "I don't want to see you become one of those people who get used to being alone." She shifted in her chair. "Someone who might even be much too comfortable alone."  
  
"If it makes you feel better, I do not want to be one of those people." I was only twenty-three, I had a little time. At least I thought so.  
  
"But you might become one, anyway. It isn't something anyone hopes to become, but eventually people do because they feel incapable of anything else."  
  
"Don't worry about it happening to me. And, if it does..." I shrugged.  
  
"You must not let it. People are much happier if they have someone else." She paused. "At least, that is my belief."  
  
"Well, thanks for sharing," I said vexedly. It was rare that I felt irritated with Sakura, but now was one of those times. "I'll keep what you said in mind." She looked like she didn't believe me, but I continued on, "I should be getting back home. The apartment isn't going to clean itself."  
  
"Oh, well, I'd offer to help, but Onii-chan is visiting today. I think he's hoping to make sure Syaoran-kun is being good to me," Sakura said, her tone flat, indicating her position that such a thing as Syaoran being good to her was a given. I had met Sakura's brother Touya only a few times, but he did, even in that short time, seem very protective. Syaoran did not like to discuss him.  
  
I thanked her for the place to sleep. "Let's hope there's never another reason to do this," I added before turning to leave.  
  
"Remember, don't become the miserable old miser," she said to me as I left. Did I seem that way to people? The kind of person who will never marry or anything? Perhaps I did, and if so, my image could use a little work. On the other hand, Tomoyo could have put her up to the whole speech. I wouldn't put it past the woman.  
  
The job in the apartment was an all-day event. I bid good-bye to the television, the little box that had served me so well. The kitchen was the biggest mess, as I found that about half the plates and cups had been broken, and cleaning those up was more of a hassle than anything else.  
  
Once I finally finished, the apartment was probably cleaner than it had been since I moved in. Everything was in neat order. It was also well into the evening. I felt glad to get the work done, but also exhausted, so I almost didn't answer the phone when it rang. However, I did, and found Mayumi at the other end, causing me to go red for having completely forgot our dinner.  
  
"Where do you think we should eat tonight?" Mayumi asked me after a quick greeting, oblivious to the fact that I hadn't remembered.  
  
"I don't really know," I responded. "You choose."  
  
"Okay, then, I'll come up with something, and call you back."  
  
The brief phone call was over, and I figured I probably had at least an hour to kill before she called me back. Without the television, I wasn't sure how to pass the time, so I simply sat on the couch. A severe lack of things to think about caused me to recall Sakura's conversation, and suddenly I did feel lonely. It wasn't something I'd really thought about before. It had existed more as a little feeling in the back of my mind, never blossoming into anything that affected me. Now that it had been brought up, though, it started to bother me.  
  
The phone rang again, and I was glad for the opportunity to forget what Sakura said. I picked up the phone, and said, expecting Mayumi to be on the other side, "So, have you decided the restaurant for us to eat at tonight?"  
  
"That's very direct, Yamazaki-kun," said Tomoyo. I burned red for the second straight phone call, and she continued, deadpan, "I appreciate the offer, but I'm afraid I'll have to decline this time."  
  
"I thought you were someone else," I said sheepishly. That's what I get for assuming too much.  
  
"Actually, the reason I called is rather serious," Tomoyo said, more solemn than before. "Chiharu-chan got a phone call just now, and when it was over she looked white as a sheet and locked herself in her room." I had a sneaking suspicion as to the caller, probably the same suspicion Tomoyo had. "I think it was Robert, but I can't confirm it. She won't respond to anything I say." I heard a sigh. "Please, will you come over?" It was rare that Tomoyo would ask for help, seeing as she usually felt, with good reason, that she could take care of it herself. "You probably know more about Robert than I do, maybe she'll talk to you about it."  
  
There were two options for me. One would be to simply encourage Tomoyo to let Chiharu tell her when Chiharu felt ready to, and then callously go on my date with Mayumi, or go to Tomoyo's and attempt, with a possible chance of failure, to get Chiharu to talk to me, and risk raising the ire of her demented former skating partner. The only option that seemed acceptable to me was the latter. "Yes," I said. "I'll be right over."  
  
"Thank you," breathed Tomoyo.  
  
I gave a quick call to Mayumi to tell her that I had to cancel at the last minute. She sounded angry, especially when I wouldn't tell her why I couldn't go to dinner. "This doesn't happen to have anything to do with that Mihara, does it?"  
  
"Uh..." I said, my tongue refusing to work quickly enough.  
  
"You mean it does?!" she seethed.  
  
"No," I said abruptly, not wanting Mayumi to show off the jealously bug again. "I was just so surprised you would even think to ask. Actually, the boss called me in to write an emergency story."  
  
"I thought you had the week off." Suspicion dominated her words.  
  
"I did too," I said, in a tone that I hoped made me sound exasperated with my job. "But I guess there's been a rash of sickness at the paper, and they need me to write some of the extra features."  
  
"Can't you just do it tomorrow?"  
  
This phone call was taking too long, and I was tired of trying to lie. "No, it has to be done tonight," I said flatly. "I'm very sorry, but I have to go now. I promise I'll make it up to you."  
  
"Yeah, yeah," she muttered. "Good-bye, Yamazaki-kun." I knew she was angry, and my excuse was rather flimsy, even I had to admit, but it was better than her believing I was headed for a late night stay with Chiharu, especially since I didn't feel I could tell her about Robert, for Chiharu's privacy's sake.  
  
Tomoyo was waiting for me at the front door, having opened the gate for me personally. "Chiharu-chan still won't say anything," she informed me. "Her room is this way." Another rare emotion for Tomoyo was worry, but now it was etched on her face. She moved quickly and I had to almost jog to keep up.  
  
Chiharu's room was near the back of the house. I knocked on the door, and said, "Chiharu?" hoping to elicit a response. When none came, I tried again, failure meeting me again. "Please, tell me what happened," I called. After a short wait, I looked to Tomoyo.  
  
"What now?" said Tomoyo.  
  
"We could just wait her out," I suggested. "She'll come out when she's ready to."  
  
"But she shouldn't just sit in there alone."  
  
"Well, don't you have keys to these rooms?"  
  
"Are you suggesting we break into her room?" Tomoyo asked dubiously.  
  
"You want to talk to her," I said. "It seems the only way short of waiting."  
  
"Fine," said Tomoyo. "I'll go look for the key to this room." She paused. "Although I can't remember the last time I used it. Actually, I don't think I've ever used it. Maybe I don't have a key." I regarded Tomoyo worriedly. She was never this scatterbrained. Chiharu must have really looked in bad shape when she went into her room.  
  
I sat down on the floor by the door while awaiting Tomoyo's return, occasionally asking Chiharu if she'd open the door, always without answer. I had the sudden urge to hunt down Robert, but I quickly squashed that. For one, I didn't know where to look. For two, I wouldn't know what to do once I found him. He'd proven to be stronger and better armed than I, a combination that didn't work out in my favor.  
  
Tomoyo was taking a long time, but she finally came back, armed with a key. She inserted it into the lock, and fumbled around with it for a little while. The door didn't open, however, and Tomoyo tossed the key to the ground in disgust. "This is supposed to be the master key to the rooms in the house," she said morosely. "But it doesn't fit the lock!" Suddenly she pounded on the door. "Chiharu-chan!" she yelled. "Please at least say something!"  
  
When, predictably, nothing was heard, Tomoyo looked frustrated and worried to the point that she looked ready to begin sobbing. I thought I had to try something to prevent that, so I brought my foot up and slammed it as hard as I could into the door. Unfortunately, I wasn't in a movie, so not only did the door barely budge, but my leg ended up in pain from the shock of the blow. Tomoyo shot me a glance with eyebrows raised, clearly not expecting that attempt on my part. "We're just going to have to wait for Chiharu to come out," I said.  
  
Tomoyo snapped her fingers. "Go in through the window," she ordered. I didn't even get a chance to protest before she ushered me into the night air outside and around the mansion, stopping in front of one of the windows. "The window isn't locked, I don't think. It's the kind you have to push open from the inside, so of course you'll need to pull them open. Wait right here." Tomoyo dashed off and returned quickly with a small ladder. "You can reach the window with this."  
  
I grimaced, and climbed the ladder. My head was still just below the window, which was raised well off the ground. I reached up, trying to find anything to grab that I use to pull the window open. I found something to hold, and looked up to discover that the window itself was open, but only slightly, so that it was not very noticeable from the ground, especially in the dark. I pried the window open all the way, then hauled myself up and over the windowsill, falling ungracefully into the room.  
  
Picking myself up, I was disturbed, for Chiharu was not visible. In fact, very little was visible, because the lights were off. I searched along the walls and finally found the light switch, illuminating the room. Still, Chiharu was nowhere to be found. I even tried looking under the bed, feeling foolish when I, of course, did not find her there.  
  
I poked my head out the window, and said to Tomoyo, who was standing below, "You sure this is the room Chiharu was in?"  
  
"Yes," said Tomoyo slowly. "Where is she?"  
  
"Not here," I said, suddenly very worried myself. Perhaps the reason the window was slightly opened was because Chiharu had opened it to jump out. But where would she go? Maybe Robert somehow convinced her to meet him somewhere. And then what would happen? I shuddered, and thoughts about possible occurrences, none of them good, swam around my head until I got a headache. "Kami-sama, I think Chiharu's gone somewhere to meet with Robert."  
  
"That's what I was thinking," said Tomoyo, behaving suddenly somewhat more calmly than before. Perhaps it was because she knew the reason why Chiharu had not responded to calls from the hallway. "That might have dire consequences," she said ominously.  
  
The police were called, and informed that Chiharu was missing and that she was suspected of being in danger. We received the standard response, "We'll look into it," which did little to quell Tomoyo's fears. Or mine, for that matter.  
  
Tomoyo was not content to just sit around and hope the police found Chiharu, or that she would just return home. She grilled me about Robert, hoping to put something together that might show us where Chiharu ran off to. "The way I figure, Robert must have asked her to come see him, and she agreed, for whatever reason." Tomoyo was acting more and more like her usual self, as she attempted to put her emotions aside for Chiharu's sake. Engrossing herself in details of what Chiharu had told me about Robert, she paced around her living room, trying to puzzle things out.  
  
"Chiharu didn't by chance know that my apartment was broken into, did she?" I asked.  
  
"She did, Sakura-chan told her," Tomoyo said absently, concentrating more on her thoughts than me.  
  
That was probably the reason she would think about meeting with Robert. Maybe he told her he would leave me alone if she gave him a chance to redeem himself. Or she might have even felt guilty enough to sacrifice herself for me. I shuddered again, hoping that last thought didn't turn out to be true. Dammit, I was the one who was supposed to be the focus of Robert's insanity to protect Chiharu, not the other way around. I slammed my fist in anger onto the couch I was sitting on.  
  
"What if they met at an ice rink? That would make sense," I said, trying to come up with anything.  
  
"Too contrived and obvious," said Tomoyo, dismissing my thought easily. "Plus, its a public place that is often rather busy for late night. I'd bet on it being somewhere they'd be alone, but I'm drawing a blank on specifics. So help me think."  
  
I tried to think, but nothing came that would be helpful. I didn't know Robert's tendencies, and I didn't know much about Chiharu, either. So it was difficult to even find a place to start. "I can't think of anything," I said, ready to give in.  
  
"Then go out and be of some use. Follow her footsteps in the grass or something." I was about to point out the flaws in that plan when she added, "Or drive around and look for her."  
  
"I'll never find her. Tokyo is a big city, and they could be anywhere." On the other hand, I wasn't accomplishing much at Tomoyo's house. It would at least give me something to do and maybe keep myself from self-blame for this situation. "But I'll go anyway." Tomoyo tossed me her cell phone, saying she would call it if Chiharu somehow returned. "Are you going to be all right?" I asked her, remembering how she had been about as hysteric as she got before she had draped herself in the cool demeanor.  
  
"Yes, I'll be fine," she snapped, clearly not responsive to any tenders of support. "Now go find Chiharu-chan." I left the room apprehensively, and got into my car still thinking there was something I should have done better there.  
  
The streets were rather devoid of people, as it was late on a Thursday night. Most had to prepare for a workday on Friday. I scouted the sidewalks, driving slowly, and attempted to peer into the alleys between buildings and down side streets. Although the main streets were well-lit, this was not always the case with the other roads. I kept up the futile search nonetheless, eventually happening upon an ice-rink. I decided to try it, no matter what Tomoyo said about it being too obvious. After a thorough examination, the rink proved to have neither Chiharu nor Robert in it.  
  
When I next checked the time, I found that I had been driving around for almost two hours with absolutely no luck. I checked the cell phone to make sure that the batteries were still powered and that the phone was functional, because if the phone was not working and Tomoyo tried to call...no, the phone was working. Sighing, I tossed the phone into the passenger seat. I decided on one last place to visit before giving up and returning to Tomoyo empty-handed and defeated.  
  
The building of Chiharu's old apartment was still in the same shape it had been in since the fire. The owner must not have the money to fix it. Or possibly he didn't care enough. Either way, it was an eyesore, but I was not in the mood to care.  
  
I didn't see anyone near it, but I decided, for lack of any better options, to search among the building, pocketing the cell phone. Some of the rooms were untouched by the fire, but still abandoned of course. I entered the unlocked building and walked around, poking my head into doors, hoping, but not expecting, to find Chiharu. I wasn't even sure of why I was there, except to say there was a small part of me that was convincing me to do so.  
  
I climbed the floors to Chiharu's old floor, and looked into the shell of the room that had burned. Nothing recognizable was in it, and the floor and ceiling, although still there, were in bad shape and looked ready to collapse the moment some more weight was put onto it.  
  
I climbed the stairs all the way to the top floor. Suddenly, while I looked into the second room I came too, I heard a voice. Panicky, I gripped the door and listened intently. I couldn't make out the words, as the voice was only a low murmur. Whoever was there, even if it wasn't Robert, was probably dangerous because, like me, he was not supposed to be here, a fact that seemed to be just hitting me.  
  
Considering turning around and leaving, I instead moved toward the source of the voice. I could start to pick up the man's words. "...You've made the right decision," he was saying. "Now, go ahead and go home. I'll miss you though." I couldn't recognize the voice, as it still sounded muffled behind the door I was standing in front of.  
  
Footsteps came to the door, and I jumped out of the way as the door swung open. Robert's eyes met mine, him glaring, me a little frightened. My first thought was that I should not have come here. 


	10. And Now...

CHAPTER 10 - And Now...  
  
For a short period of time, that seemed like an eternity but was really only ten seconds, Robert and I stood wordlessly facing each other. Peering around him, I could see someone standing behind him, and even though I couldn't see her face, I knew it was Chiharu.  
  
"Yamazaki-kun!?" she said in shock.  
  
"You just can't seem to leave Chiharu-chan alone," muttered Robert. "Well, it doesn't matter now whether you want to see her, because she has told me she doesn't want to see you anymore, and I believe her." Well, that was something I didn't believe. People will say a lot of lies if they think someone might hurt them or their friends. "Please, don't bother my Chiharu-chan anymore."  
  
"I wouldn't mind a ride home from him, though," said Chiharu. Robert turned around to glare at her.  
  
"You don't like him, you don't associate with him." He seemed to sigh. "Sometimes I don't understand the things people do."  
  
"I guess I'll walk home," said Chiharu, meeting my eyes as if to say sorry.  
  
"That's a good idea," said Robert. "I await your return tomorrow. Meanwhile, Takashi and I will have a little talk." I didn't like the sound of that.  
  
"Remember what you promised," Chiharu warned. "Don't break it." I was surprised to hear her tone so sharp.  
  
She left, leaving me alone with the maniac. "Don't worry, Takashi, I'm not here to hurt you anymore. Chiharu-chan has chosen me, and asked me not to hurt you. So I won't." Well, if I had known it was as simple as asking I would have tried that a long time ago. "Would you like me to offer you a drink?"  
  
"No," I said flatly. I wanted to leave, but was afraid of what he might try if I did.  
  
"Well, why don't you tell me why you've come here." He took the time to glower at me. "I trust it is not because you were looking for Chiharu- chan?"  
  
"Uh, no, of course not," I lied. "This building is the subject of a story in the paper, and I've got to research it. Just an unfortunate coincidence to have met you up here." At least I wasn't too afraid to spin a lie.  
  
"Okay, then." Robert checked his watch. "It is late, and I'm ready to hit the sack. Why don't you go to sleep yourself?" I was remarking to myself that, if someone who didn't know any better was listening, this conversation would sound very normal. Such was the madness of Robert, I supposed. At least that's the best I could come up with.  
  
"That sounds like a good idea," I replied.  
  
Then, still in a conversational tone, he said, "Oh, and by the way, don't go near Chiharu-chan again." There was the Robert I knew.  
  
I just nodded stupidly and backed away before reaching the next floor down. I took the rest of the stairs two-at-a-time, and jumped into my car, eager to leave and try to find Chiharu along the way, hoping that Robert wouldn't find out. I had barely started my car when there was a knock on the window on the passenger side. Practically leaping out of my seat in surprise, I calmed down when I saw it was Chiharu, and unlocked the door.  
  
"Yamazaki-kun, why did you come here?" she asked.  
  
"I don't know," I admitted. Which was true, I don't know what caused me to stop at the old apartment building. "I was looking for you."  
  
"Well, that's sweet, but I wish you hadn't. You weren't supposed to find out what I was doing."  
  
"What, your secret meeting with Robert? He's the crazy man who has never given up his unrequited love for you," I reminded her coldly.  
  
"I had to something," she returned defensively. "He kept tormenting you, because of me." There was a momentary pause before she added, "I hope he doesn't find out I came into the car with you." I echoed the sentiment in my head as we arrived back at Tomoyo's mansion.  
  
Once Tomoyo was done showing her happiness than Chiharu had returned unharmed, she grew angry and chastised Chiharu. "What could you have been thinking?" she started in a normal tone of voice that held an eerie feeling of disapproval. "That's very heroic of you, to try and turn Robert's attentions away from Yamazaki-kun. But you've solved nothing. And since you apparently knew where Robert was, you could have told the police and made their job easier."  
  
Chiharu looked down at the carpet while Tomoyo spoke, unable to look the other in the eye. I purposely let my eyes wander the room, never staring too long at either, to give the effect that I wasn't listening even while I was. When Tomoyo was done, she shot a look to me that I interpreted as, "Leave." So I did, choosing to go outside and enjoy the night air.  
  
Tomoyo came out a few minutes later and brought me back in. Chiharu was no longer in the living room. I wondered what Tomoyo had said while I wasn't in the room. "Here's what we can do," Tomoyo told me. "Robert wants to see her tomorrow, and will tell her where to find him. Then we call in the police on that site, and then they catch him."  
  
"Sounds so easy," I muttered.  
  
"You're right, it might not go as well as planned. But it's the best option we have open to us." I had to agree with that last statement. Tomoyo put her hand to her chin in thought. "Meanwhile, you should stay here for the night."  
  
"That's okay, I don't have to," I said. I really didn't feel like spending another night in someone else's house.  
  
"Of course you don't have to," Tomoyo said. "But you will, because I think it's best." Well, then, I guess there's no argument for that. I muttered something that sounded agreeable. "Now, I suppose you can have this bedroom," said Tomoyo, motioned to one of the many in the house. "It's pretty late, so you should..." she was interrupted by the telephone, which rang until she picked it up angrily. "Yes?" she said icily. Her face fell to more of a shocked look. "Yamazaki-kun?"  
  
At the mention of my name, I moved over to the phone. Tomoyo handed it to me, mouthing, "Robert," silently. I sighed, not really expecting anyone else to be calling me.  
  
"I'm very glad to have found you here," said Robert. "You were with Chiharu-chan, you drove her home. I saw it." I frowned. I was past the point where I cared how he knew everything I did, I just wanted him to stop finding out. "I am not happy." I was not sure what to say, so I kept myself mute. "I know where you are hiding in, surrounded by that big gate," he continued. "That won't keep me out forever, if you're planning on holing up with Chiharu-chan there. I'll come in, and take her away from you..."  
  
It was difficult to describe, but something inside me snapped. Suddenly, I was no longer shy, scared Yamazaki, and I became angry, ticked off Yamazaki. I was tired, and I had been worrying about Robert too long. "Dammit, you don't understand," I said into the phone, cutting him off. "You shouldn't have to take anyone away. If Chiharu wanted to be with you, she would be. She would have been with you a long time ago. But she didn't, and she doesn't."  
  
"But..." he began, but I continued on like a freight train. I was now to the point where I was nearly yelling, and my voice was rising. Frustration against him was coming out after being held in by me for almost a week.  
  
"She only came to see you today to get you to stop terrorizing me. Don't you see? She doesn't like you, hell, she probably fears you. Why can't you get it through your thick head? You can't make someone love you, especially by hurting that someone's friends. And Chiharu does not love you, and never will." It was a bit harsh, but I was in an uncontrollable fury. It seemed as if I was saying things even before they formed as thoughts in my head. "I love her, and if she doesn't want anything to do with you, then I'll keep you away from her," I finished. It took a few seconds for what I said to sink in, then I felt a little panicky. I looked around to see if anyone was in the room with me, and breathed a little easier when I found neither Chiharu or Tomoyo. I had actually said that I loved Chiharu, and it sounded so right to me that I couldn't believe it could possibly be a lie. I didn't have time to figure out anything else, because Robert was still on the line.  
  
It was a while before he spoke, however. He was probably stunned speechless, as he was more than likely expecting anything other than the mini-tirade I had fired his way. Finally, he said, flatly, "You love her." He repeated it a couple more times, as if mulling it over in his head. "I can certainly see why, but that is unacceptable." He was recovering from his bewilderment, but I was done caring if the things I did were acceptable or not to him. "What if she doesn't want anything to do with you?" He snarled. "Then what? You'll keep yourself away from her?"  
  
I didn't get a chance to respond, because a third voice chimed, "I love Yamazaki-kun!"  
  
"Chiharu-chan!?" said Robert incredulously. That was my sentiment exactly. She was on one of the other phones in the house, and had probably listened to all or most of our conversation, silently until just then. Tomoyo had apparently left me to bring a phone to Chiharu. Just wonderful. "That can't be true."  
  
"It is true."  
  
The doorbell rang, and I wheeled to face it. Couldn't be, could it? I cautiously approached the door, and peered out the peephole. It was Robert, plainly visible on the other side of the door, holding a cell phone in a very casual manner. His shirt was torn, probably a byproduct of his climbing over the gate, which is how I assumed he got in. Tomoyo appeared behind me, and I waved her back. She moved to the back of the house, muttering something about getting better security systems.  
  
The lock on the door jiggled. He was picking the lock. All the fire from the phone conversation seemed to dissipate. I realized morosely that I was only strong while talking on the phone. Once I met Robert face-to- face, he had the more dominant personality. I hoped Tomoyo had sprung for quality locks.  
  
"You're interfering with Chiharu-chan's feelings," Robert said while working the lock. He was still on the phone, I noted absently while focusing intently on the door.  
  
"Stay away," I said hoarsely. The phone clicked, and the call was over. I tossed the phone on the couch, refusing to move or look away from the door. Then, in a moment in which time seemed to freeze, the lock turned. I heard a sound of satisfaction from Robert as the door opened. I wanted to move away, but I couldn't muster the ability to do so.  
  
"Hello, Takashi," said Robert, entering the house. He wasted no time in walking right up to me, and I couldn't help but take a step back. "Where is Chiharu-chan?"  
  
Again, I don't know what caused me to take the action I did, just like on the phone. I felt his breath on my face, he was so close, and I was getting angry while at the same time scared. So I surprised the both of us by punching him in the face. He reeled backward, and felt the spot where I hit him with a hand. He didn't look pleased. My hand, unaccustomed to pugilistic tendencies, hurt enough to make me wonder if I broke it.  
  
Robert suddenly launched himself at me, tackling me and sending us both to the ground. I managed to roll away as he tried to get on top of me, and he scrambled after. It would have been an odd sight, two grown men wiggling around the carpeting, one trying to get the upper hand, the other trying to avoid the one. It wasn't long before Robert finally grasped me, however, and dragged me back toward him.  
  
Before he could get a hold of more than my shirt, he let go. I turned around to figure out why when I found him lying on the ground, clutching his side. A tall woman dressed in black stood over him, her dangerous heeled shoes more than likely responsible for Robert's current position. Tomoyo's bodyguard. One of them, at least. Two other bodyguards stood behind her, and she offered a hand to help me up.  
  
The scene was unnaturally calm after that. The police arrived to find the bodyguard holding Robert as one would hold a sack of rotten meat. I was assured that my punch was going to be seen as self-defense, although I wondered a little as to whether it really was, as the police led Robert away. For some reason, despite all that he'd done, I felt a little sorry for him and the ways things had turned out, although I also felt that the blame rested on his shoulders.  
  
I sat on Tomoyo's couch, ice on my hand. Tomoyo had taken the opportunity to make me thank her for getting the bodyguards involved. Also, seeing how everything turned out all right, she couldn't help but say when she handed me the ice, "Not a fighter, are you?"  
  
Chiharu emerged from a hallway into the living room, and Tomoyo immediately excused herself, leaving the two of us alone. We refused to make eye contact at first. I was on the couch while she stood awkwardly a few feet away. Then she decided to take initiative and speak first.  
  
"So," she said. "I heard the phone call you had with Robert."  
  
"I thought so," I replied.  
  
"You were very brave. And angry," she added.  
  
"I don't know what came over me. All my feelings just came pouring out unlike never before."  
  
"Then...did you mean it? When you said..." I knew what she was referring to, how could I not? Usually, when it came to women, I liked to think about what I was going to say. However, my thinking time was very low in this case.  
  
"Yes," I said, more blandly than I wanted to. More affectionately, I said, "I do love you."  
  
"Really?" she said, smiling. "I love you too, Yamazaki-kun."  
  
"I always have, I suppose," I said, inviting her to sit on the couch next to me. "Only there was a personality defect in me or something that was making me suppress that feeling. I never let myself forgive you for the letter, and the picture. But while Robert was on the phone, telling me to leave you alone and all that, I realized that I should change my view of you, because you'd never liked him, or anyone else. And I was a stupid man for refusing to see that the fact that the letter, which was only intended to make me come see you, showed you had not stopped caring about me."  
  
"It's okay," she said softly.  
  
I shook my head. "You shouldn't forgive me so easily for the manner in which I've treated you since you've returned. I've been cold, distant, or outright rude to you. I've gone on dates with other women." Well, there had been one woman, because I didn't count Machi as a date. "Like Tejiro-san. I wasn't completely forward with you when you met her in the store..."  
  
"Oh, stop," she said lightly. "I knew about Tejiro-san anyhow." From Tomoyo, no doubt. "You aren't going to do it anymore, are you? Date other women?"  
  
"Well, no."  
  
"Okay, then. We can make a fresh start here. We can't change the past, but we can put it behind us and start with the future, much wiser than before."  
  
"That sounds like a good idea."  
  
She rested her head on my shoulder, yawning. Soon her breathing became rhythmic, and I realized she was asleep. That made sense, it was well past midnight. I slept sitting almost straight up so as not to disturb her.  
  
* * *  
  
Tomoyo deserves to have her own house to herself. At least, that was the reasoning I gave her when I told her that Chiharu would be moving into my apartment. At least until she found a place of her own, because that's what she was planning. "Right," Tomoyo had said, in that deadpan of hers. "I bet she'll be looking very hard for a place, too." She had good reason to be sarcastic when she said that. Chiharu had thought that living together might be moving a bit fast, but I managed to convince her that we could at least pretend she was only there temporarily until she found a new place to live.  
  
Of course, it was just perfect that Mayumi chose to show up at my apartment the next day, while we were in the business of moving Chiharu's stuff in. "Takashi-kun, getting a roommate?" she said, sneaking up on me while I was grabbing one of Chiharu's boxes out of the car.  
  
I jumped when she spoke. "In a way," I said. I knew what I had to do, and it wasn't going to be fun. "Look, Tejiro-san, I should come clean with you."  
  
"Let me guess. Last night you didn't actually do any work, but instead you went off and saw Mihara," she said, in a tone that seemed to be normal but was only a step away from erupting, volcano-like, into a fury.  
  
"Umm, yeah," I said, noticing that the box I was carrying was marked, quite clearly, "Chiharu's Clothes." So much for letting Mayumi know gently that Chiharu was my roommate.  
  
Mayumi slapped me. "Why didn't you say something last night?"  
  
"A lot has changed since then," I replied, refusing to rub what was destined to be a red spot on my face shaped like a hand. "I couldn't tell you last night, but Chiharu was missing, and I helped find her." I decided to spare the details.  
  
"And now that you found her, it's time to take her under your roof?" she asked acidly.  
  
"I told you, a lot of things have changed. I'm sorry, but we can't continue to be together."  
  
"Well, I saw that coming," she said. "I suspected that your relationship with Mihara was serious."  
  
"Actually, it wasn't serious until last night. I was going to tell you soon, but haven't had time to do it today."  
  
Mayumi looked very irate. "I don't believe any of that," she said. From her point of view, I could see why. "But, if you don't want to be with me, there's nothing I can do." Well, that was certainly a healthy attitude. "Good-bye, Takashi-san. It's too bad things didn't turn out different."  
  
Chiharu came down, wondering what was taking me so long. Mayumi looked at her and for a second I thought maybe she might attack her. Instead, fortunately, she only glared at Chiharu and then left. "Poor Tejiro-san," Chiharu said. I nodded and carried the box of clothes into the apartment.  
  
After Chiharu's things were moved in, she announced, only half- jokingly, that new furniture would be required, because my things were ugly. I had to agree that new furniture would be nice, but also let her know that I wasn't Tomoyo, and didn't have that kind of money. Although, we did need to buy another bed.  
  
"Oh, I think we can manage with just one," she said, grinning. I fumbled around for a reason to get another bed, but then I reasoned that, well, it was a big bed, so we should be fine with one. Also, Syaoran might give me hell if I tried to argue for a second bed too much.  
  
Beds and furniture aside, I felt the best I had felt in many years. Now that I was ready to begin anew with Chiharu, everything was right in my world. Chiharu said that was something she agreed with. We made sure that both of us were sure of our feelings, and that neither of us would ever try to make the other jealous, or worry about the other's feelings, because we know we both felt love.  
  
Reenergized by Chiharu, I decided I'd try to get a degree in a college. It wouldn't be a good college, but I would at least have something to justify my job as a newspaper writer. Chiharu felt some sort of schooling would be good for her, too, because she didn't want to waitress forever. Despite the financial strain this would bring about, it was for the best.  
  
Finally, I knew I didn't have to worry about being alone anymore. And Sakura didn't have to worry about me being alone anymore, either, I thought mildly. Things were going to be much better for both Chiharu and I. It was just a feeling I had, but it seemed like there was no way it would not come true.  
  
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(A/N): That's the ending! Thanks to all who reviewed and/or read the story, especially Tenshi no ai. I hope those who read it found it a good read. 


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